The case concerns a leak from the Miteni factory in the town of Trissino. The factory began manufacturing PFAS chemicals in 1968 and was run by three companies until it was closed due to bankruptcy in 2018.
Leaked chemicals from the factory polluted a total of around 200 square kilometers of drinking water sources, according to the prosecutors.
Eleven executives who, among other things, worked for Mitsubishi and International Chemical Investors are sentenced to prison terms ranging from two years and eight months to 17 years as responsible for the pollution.
Among the hundreds of plaintiffs are many mothers who have joined forces after discovering that their family members had the chemicals in their blood.
The convicted executives and the companies involved are also sentenced to pay damages of millions of kronor to the Veneto region and to the Italian Ministry of the Environment.
PFAS are man-made chemicals that break down extremely slowly and therefore accumulate in nature and in our bodies. Some are toxic and have been linked to various negative health effects such as hormonal disruptions and cancer.
