health
Indians protest over ‘forever chemicals’ after relocation of scandal-hit Italian factory
Lack of Pfas regulations raised in parliament after Guardian revealed former Miteni plant bought by Indian company
TL;DR
- An Indian company, Laxmi Organic Industries, acquired and partly rebuilt a former Italian Miteni factory known for Pfas production.
- The Miteni factory in Italy was shut down in 2018 due to severe environmental contamination affecting over 350,000 people and was linked to one of Europe's worst environmental scandals.
- The relocated factory in Lote Parshuram, India, is now operational and producing Pfas chemicals for various industries.
- Protests and political debate have spread across India since the investigation's publication, with calls for a federal investigation into the authorization process.
- Indian officials confirmed the absence of specific environmental regulations banning Pfas manufacturing in the country.
- Documents suggest plans for the Indian facility were in progress before the Italian plant's closure, raising questions about the timing of the relocation.