Levels of water and soil natural pollutions in Italy

Abstract

This issue of Rendiconti Lincei Scienze Fisiche e Naturali communicates the best papers presented to a conference held in Rome, at the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, on March 20, 2015. This year, the 15th World Water Day lectures were dedicated to the level of natural pollution of the Italian environment, in order to separate what is geogenic in origin and what rather relates to anthropogenic input, and in preparation of the next year’s day entirely dedicated to man-induced pollution. The geology of Italy is such as to present numerous areas where high levels of pollution affect soils because of natural causes (mainly related to their near or distant volcanic origin). Consequently, pollution affects the waters too, both those running on and those moving in the near surface aquifers; or—to say it more precisely—certain Italian waters may exceed the safety limits set by the European Community for agricultural and industrial uses. The cases where drinking waters exceed such safety limits are much rarer, thanks to vigilant attention of the authorities taking care of environment and safety (ASL) and yet a few of them occur in localised spots throughout the entire country. Opening the conference, Professor Michele Caputo, the Chairman of the Lincei Academy Commission on Environment and Natural Disasters, pointed out that the popular press stresses on the great number and new types of disasters that were unknown in the past, giving the perception that risk is constantly increasing all over the Italian territory. One could confute this trend by stating that this situation is a natural one, i.e., it originates from evolution induced by causes that are beyond the human possibility to cope with. However, this truth does not justify the authorities who do not take care of the three constraints: preview, prevent and provide. Indeed, climate changes so rapidly as to make it is practically impossible to estimate the related risk in advance and the previewing action becomes a political issue: what the authorities can actually do is tied up, rather, with their willingness at spending people money properly. Professor Caputo gave clear indication on this issue referring to agriculture, hydrocarbon extraction and landslides. He also pointed out that a great deal of problems derives from atmospheric pollution, which is a global problem rather than a national one. Altogether, the Conference presented 27 oral papers either solicited or offered and eleven posters. We selected ten of the oral presentations and three posters as representative of the best research on the subject to be included in this issue of Rendiconti. Five of them are invited lectures (out of eight given) and the others were either short oral communications or posters converted into regular papers. Stating the well-known and still valid quote of Paracelsus ‘‘the dose makes the poison’’, Dr. Carlo Cremisini of ENEA—the National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development—gave the introductory lecture (Cremisini and Armiento 2016). He showed that chemical elements naturally distribute in soils and waters either in concentrations that are too low (deficiency) or too high (toxicity), leaving just a short interval where they can be absorbed proficiently by the living bodies. Among the elements that & Annibale Mottana annibale.mottana@uniroma3.it