🔗 Share this article To Which Location Does a Western Chemical Plant Which Polluted Drinking Water Move On? To India The dense tropical forest and reddish-brown hills of Lote, situated along India’s western shoreline, lead to a modest rise where a industrial facility stands under the open sky. The factory is largely newly built, but its machinery is not: it originates from the former Miteni factory in Vicenza, Italy. Miteni ceased operations in 2018 following one of the worst ecological controversies in the nation’s modern record: after years of manufacturing Pfas forever chemicals, the company’s management was prosecuted for contaminating water resources in an region inhabited by 350,000 people. In June, its former executives were convicted at the Vicenza court of environmental damage and additional offenses and given prison sentences, which they are expected to appeal against. Understanding PFAS: Toxicity Levels and Exposure Routes And yet, all of the company’s equipment, its patents and methods – all required components to produce Pfas – is now here in Lote Parshuram MIDC, a large industrial zone almost 4,000 miles away, wedged between villages and wooded areas. And the plant has recently begun to resume PFAS production. A Toxic Legacy Once known for its specialism in developing processes for specialty compounds, Miteni is now infamous for the toxic legacy it left behind. In 2011, scientists found exceptionally elevated concentrations of PFAS compounds in the facility’s effluent. Numerous of inhabitants had been exposed through drinking water. The most impacted were Miteni’s employees. Ilario Ermetti, 69, who was employed for years in its fluorinated chemical department, displayed among the top levels of Pfas documented in human blood. “When the story came to light, I looked at a list of medical conditions associated with PFAS, and discovered I had them all,” states Ermetti. Former Miteni worker Ilario Ermetti showed a high concentration of PFAS in his blood. Elevated concentrations of PFAS in the blood are associated with increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, liver and kidney damage, fertility issues and additional ailments. Ermetti is presently recuperating from a recent surgical operation. Community Concerns Michela Piccoli, 51, a healthcare worker and activist with Mothers Against PFAS, began mobilizing after learning her children’s blood showed high levels of persistent pollutants. When she found out that Miteni’s patents and machinery were being sent to India, she was shocked. “As mothers, as women, our anxiety has increased,” she said. “Since our kids are the children of all.” Corporate Transition Following Miteni’s insolvency, its assets were bought in 2019 by Viva Lifesciences, a branch of the Indian chemical company Laxmi Organic Industries – the sole participant in the open sale. By the start of 2023, the complete machinery was being shipped heading to Mumbai. At the same time, Laxmi was boasting of its recent purchase to investors. Transcripts of investor gatherings indicate that Laxmi’s management minimized ecological worries, with its chairman, Harshvardhan Goenka, stating that Miteni was “doing everything legally in compliance with European standards”. Goenka is one of the three men on the board of Laxmi Organic the Italian branch, a entity established in 2021. Also included is Antonio Nardone, the last chief executive of Miteni, who was convicted of environmental pollution and false accounting at the June trial and given six years and four months in jail. Per a former mid-level manager speaking on condition of anonymity, Nardone was traveling for work to India prior to the firm’s collapse. Although Laxmi purchased Miteni’s assets in June 2019, the ecological review for the construction of the factory in Lote reveals that in March 2018 the firm was already planning to commence manufacturing fluorinated compounds compatible with Miteni’s offerings. Laxmi Organic Industries did not respond to inquiries. Strategic Expansion By 2021, Laxmi’s strategy explicitly spelled out the objective to “capture [the] market share of Miteni” and emerge as a top player in the manufacturing of Pfas and fluorochemicals. Shipping records indicate that, to secure validation on the quality of the compounds, in 2024 Laxmi started sending out samples to companies with previous commercial ties with Miteni, such as BASF, Chemours, DuPont and FMC. From the beginning of 2025, Laxmi’s site in Lote Parshuram has been completely active, manufacturing substances that will be utilized for agrochemicals, medicines, colorants, cosmetics and additional goods. Regulatory Context Studies demonstrate that concentrations of forever chemicals in the environment are alarmingly high, particularly around production sites. But even though global focus is increasing, in India the matter is not yet a policy priority. “Examining the rules, [Pfas] is not present in such guidelines. It’s not recognised by the Indian government as of today,” said Rajneesh Gautam, an ecological scientist at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. “Autonomous study teams across India have conducted studies in various regions. But this work are restricted in range, and there are still only a handful.” Local Impact Parineeta Dandekar, coordinator of the regional environmental group, says the Lote Parshuram industrial district “has a poor ecological history”. After it was set up in 1986, “the livelihood of fishing populations in this region completely collapsed,” she said. The industrial area is dependent on a centralised wastewater treatment plant that has been frequently criticized. “Nearby communities have always stated that it’s malfunctioning,” said Dandekar. “When there is no electricity, a frequent event in the countryside, the plant cannot function and industries discharge polluted water straight into the streams.” Environmental authorities have sent multiple notices to the plant in recent years. International Ramifications In the EU, the regulatory agency is reviewing a proposal to ban the production, importation and use of over ten thousand forever chemicals. This attention may be pushing the industry to the developing nations, according to Claudia Marcolungo, a professor of environmental law at the academic institution. “I think that this matter should be examined, because the fact that Miteni’s operations, patents and equipment have been transferred to a country like India should prompt consideration, minimally, on the power that these global corporations have to relocate in nations where there is clearly a race to the bottom in terms of ecological safeguards.” Ongoing Risks Miteni has shut down, but the company’s toxic legacy continues – at the polluted location in Vicenza, and in Lote. The medical effects associated with Pfas production are expected to impact communities that are already struggling with an hazardous setting for years to come. “That region has experienced sufficient environmental destruction by now,” says Dandekar. “If more dangerous companies move in, it’s perpetually concerning.”