DHAKA: The Italian government has failed to improve the quality of its drinking water, leaving people exposed to health risks from high levels of arsenic and fluoride.

The European Commission said on Thursday, reports The Straits Times.

It said Italy’s drinking water did not meet European Union standards despite more than nine years of scrutiny.

The Lazio region around the capital Rome has a particularly pressing problem.

‘Water contamination from arsenic and fluoride is a long-standing problem in Italy,’ the commission said in a statement, reports The Straits Times.

In February, local authorities in Rome, whose fountains fed by ancient aqueducts attract hordes of tourists, imposed a temporary ban on drinking water from public supplies in parts of the city.

BDST: 2034 HRS, JULY 10, 2014