Forever

The cycles foreseen by nature foresee a circle and recycling of the single elements that are distributed on the planet in a balanced way. Ever since man has developed new materials or synthesized new molecules, he has rarely foreseen or evaluated the effect of his presence in the long term, generally limiting himself to appreciating the immediate benefits deriving from the innovations introduced.

There are various examples from the past: think of the DDT, used massively between the 1940s and 1970s, widely used in the Second World War as an insecticide to defend against diseases such as typhoid, yellow fever or malaria. After the war, the use of DDT expanded as an insecticide to protect trees, agricultural crops and foodstuffs. What were the effects of this abuse? Due to the chemical characteristics of this molecule, it is degraded very slowly and accumulates along the food chain, leading to concentration levels of DDT that can be toxic. At the end of the 1970s, this led to severe limitations on its use, leading to the signing of the Stockholm Convention in 2001, which allows the use of DDT only for the control of malaria, under strict control by the World Health Organization.

Even today we find critical situations that have not been regulated. Recently, more and more data is being collected regarding some substances produced since the end of the 1940s, known by the acronym pfas. The acronym may not be known to us, but we certainly know and use many of the products that contain them.

The pfas are used to produce non-stick, stain-resistant and water-repellent materials such as Teflon or Goretex and cover many commonly used utensils and fabrics. There are many different types of pfas, but they all have a chemical structure that gives them interesting characteristics.

Unfortunately, the same chemical structure is responsible for their extreme permanence in the environment, so as to nickname these compounds foreverer chemical (eternal chemical substances). A recent study conducted in Europe highlighted the presence of high levels of pfas in over 17,000 sites, both in water and in the air and in various animal species examined. There are many negative effects that prolonged exposure to pfas can cause: decline in fertility, complications during pregnancy, lower weight of newborns, greater risk of developing tumors, thyroid disease and cardiovascular disorders.

A few days before the celebration of World Earth Day, it is good to examine our conscience by asking ourselves if we are making our planet inhospitable, not only for us, but also for future generations. The good we wish for our children and for everyone's future should be the springboard to always push us to live responsibly the small as well as the big choices.

Valentina Turinetto

NP Maggio 2023