Is tap water in Italy drinkable?
The excellent quality of tap water has always been a feature that Italy is proud of, which allows us to see people drinking tap water directly in bars on the streets everywhere. However, a recent report from Australia shows that drinking water in many areas is at risk of contamination, including Italy.
Tap water quality tests from Australia show that tap water in some areas contains two substances belonging to the PFAS chemical category, namely perfluoro octane sulfonic acid (known as PFOS) and perfluoro octane acid (PFOA), which are carcinogenic to humans if consumed for a long time.
In Piedmont, Italy, Italian authorities have also detected the same pollutants, and about 125,000 people may be drinking PFAS-contaminated water. It is not easy to remove these substances. The best way is to limit the use of pesticides in Italy to prevent them from eventually entering the water. Therefore, Italian authorities have given the local tap water industry 5 years to limit the pollutant to a safe value.
In daily life, PFAS exists in the waterproof coating of clothes and the non-stick coating of cookware, in addition to pesticides, paints and cosmetics. The scientific community is still studying the effects of these chemical elements on human health. However, over time, these unknown chemical elements will accumulate in different organs of the human body, causing many health problems, including high cholesterol, low birth weight of newborns, kidney cancer, testicular cancer and damage to the immune system.
In addition to the presence of this latest reported carcinogen, there are many bacteria in tap water, such as Legionella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus, Citrobacter, etc. Therefore, when living in Italy, we cannot drink tap water directly just because it is of good quality. It is best to install a filter at home or buy bottled water directly outside.
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