Italian Executives Receive Lengthy Prison Terms for PFAS Pollution

An Italian court has sentenced eleven executives associated with a chemical plant to jail terms ranging from approximately three to seventeen years due to severe environmental pollution involving harmful PFAS chemicals. The plant in question, located in Trissino, northern Italy, was operated by the now-defunct Italian firm Miteni along with Japan’s Mitsubishi and Luxembourg-based International Chemical Investors (ICIG). Four additional defendants were acquitted during this landmark trial, which initially opened in 2021.

The executives were accused of knowingly allowing hazardous PFAS substances—often called "forever chemicals" because of their enduring environmental presence—to contaminate approximately 200 square kilometers (77 square miles) of soil and drinking water. PFAS chemicals, developed decades ago, have come under scrutiny worldwide due to their strong links to hormonal disruptions, immune suppression, and various cancers. The substances leaked into a local waterway, extensively polluting an area affecting Vicenza, Verona, and Padova.

In addition to criminal penalties, the court ordered those convicted to pay over €6.5 million ($7.6 million) in damages to the Veneto region and €58 million in compensation to Italy’s environment ministry. Hundreds of plaintiffs participated in the trial, including local mothers and environmental advocacy groups like Greenpeace, which hailed the court’s decision as "historic." The sentencing significantly exceeded prosecutors’ requests, underscoring the seriousness of the contamination and its broad community impact.

Earlier, in a related judicial ruling, the death of a plant worker due to cancer in 2014 was officially linked to PFAS exposure at the same facility, highlighting the ongoing consequences of this environmental disaster.