Quick Take — PFAS are present in the majority of drinking water samples in Italy and France

PFAS are present in 79% of drinking water samples analysed by Greenpeace Italy. The figure is alarming because we are talking about a large group of poly and perfluoroalkyl substances, some of which are classified as carcinogenic. If you think Greenpeace may have got it wrong, just look at what is happening beyond the Alps: two mass campaigns, made public on Thursday 23 January, and conducted separately by the consumer association UFC-Que Choice and the environmental NGO Generations Futures on the one hand, and the analysis laboratory Eurofins on the other, suggest that almost all French people are exposed to these toxic substances through their drinking water, and in the vast majority of cases at rates exceeding the theoretical quality threshold. PFAS: Drinking water in France is massively contaminated with ‘eternal pollutants’, especially in Paris. Read also : Bottled or tap water?

There is no minimum consumption of alcoholic beverages that is ‘safe’ for health

The consumption of alcohol can cause at least seven different types of cancer, even if only small amounts are consumed. The most affected areas are the mouth and throat, larynx, oesophagus, colorectum, liver and breast (in women). This was reconfirmed by the US Surgeon General in January 2025 but in Italy social pressure is put on those who do not drink

The Caprotti family: my maternal grandfather Guido Caprotti Venosta, c. 1970s?

My grandfather Guido Venosta, the more introverted of the Venosta brothers, graduated from Cambridge and Pavia and worked all his life as an executive at Pirelli; in 1966 he became involved in the Italian Association for Cancer Research (today the Italian Foundation for Cancer Research - AIRC), which he transformed into Italy's largest private funding body in the fight against cancer. Initiatives that have made the history of fundraising for the non-profit world, such as the 'Health Oranges' and the 'Research Azaleas' (...), were born thanks to him.

The Caprotti family: Carla Fossati Bellani Venosta, 1958

Carla Fossati Bellani Venosta (1924 - 2019), was my grandfather Guido Venosta's second wife. She was an internationally renowned designer. In 2000 he promoted the establishment of the 'European Foundation Guido Venosta, the man against cancer' (today 'Fondazione Guido Venosta'), whose aim was and is, 'to honour Guido Venosta's memory and borrow his experience, to promote and contribute to raising public education towards the highest cultural ideals and solidarity'.