The environmental catastrophe that has caused a 47% increase in cancer in Naples

NaplesLast week, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg issued a landmark ruling against Italy, condemning the country for failing to act with the necessary urgency in the face of the environmental catastrophe in the area of Campania (south of the country) known as Terra dei Fuochi, or Terra dels Focs in Catalan. The decision recognises that the population of this area has lived for more than three decades in an environment of "sufficiently serious, real and proven" risk to human health. The ECHR concluded that Italy violated the right to life and a safe environment, and requires the Italian government to develop a concrete strategy for the decontamination of the territory within two years. The measures ordered include the creation of an independent monitoring system, a public information platform and the implementation of specific actions to reduce the impact on the health of residents.

The environmental crisis in Campania began to intensify between 1994 and 2012, when a state of emergency was declared over urban solid waste, leading to the repeal of laws aimed at building infrastructure for waste management. The garbage crisis in Naples, with mountains of waste piling up in the streets, was one of the most visible manifestations of this environmental disaster. As a result, the territory was affected by the proliferation of illegal landfills where the Mafia, in complicity with companies and authorities, deposited and buried industrial waste. This waste came not only from northern Italy, but also from other European countries that found in the Camorra a quick and cheap way to get rid of toxic materials.

Cream of waste

For years, hazardous chemicals were disposed of unchecked, leading to unprecedented levels of pollution. One of the most alarming aspects of the crisis was the systematic burning of waste to reduce its volume and free up space. Tyres, oils, solvents, plastics, textile waste and even medicines were incinerated, generating huge plumes of black smoke visible on the horizon. It was this image, repeated for years in the provinces of Naples and Caserta, that led to the term Land of Fires being coined. At the same time, barrels of highly toxic waste were buried without any treatment, contaminating aquifers and rivers. Prolonged exposure to these toxic substances severely affected entire fruit and vegetable crops. This harmed local agricultural production and endangered food security in the region.

There had been evidence of these practices since 1988, but complaints were ignored for decades. The contamination of water sources led to the poisoning of livestock, and over time the effects on human health also became evident. Scientific studies have confirmed what local communities have been denouncing for years. According to the Italian Higher Institute of Health, the incidence of cancer in the Land of Fire is 11% higher than the national average in men and 9% in women. The most frequent types of cancer – liver, stomach and lung – are directly related to prolonged exposure to toxic substances. A study by the Pascale National Cancer Institute in Naples revealed that between 1992 and 2012, mortality from tumours in the province of Naples increased by 47%, while in the province of Caserta the increase was 40% compared to the previous twenty years. Other research has shown a worrying increase in respiratory diseases and congenital malformations in babies, which reinforces the seriousness of the crisis.

Despite these alarming figures, political action has been virtually non-existent. In 2015, in the province of Caserta, the State Forestry Corps discovered the largest area of illegal toxic waste dumping in Europe. However, the decontamination of these sites has progressed at an extremely slow pace. Today, a total of 240 sites have been classified as "contaminated sites" requiring immediate decontamination of soil, surface water and even groundwater, according to CORINE's 2018 land cover data, although the real number is likely to be much higher.

The problem is not limited to the Mafia, but involves the entire country. Companies from various regions have for years taken advantage of the Camorra's low costs to illegally dispose of their industrial waste; Campania has become Italy's largest landfill. While criminal organisations were making millions in profits, toxic waste was piling up unchecked, causing the waste management system to collapse. Illegal waste transit has been a source of enrichment for mafia clans, businessmen and politicians. The waste business became a vicious circle in which corruption and impunity allowed the problem to perpetuate itself. Italian politics, instead of tackling the disaster with effective measures, opted for years for denial and inaction. Decontamination of Tierra de los Fuegos is a costly and slow process, the results of which would not be immediate, making it incompatible with the short-term timelines of politics.

Now the Strasbourg ruling forces the Italian state to act. The ruling represents a victory for activists, local associations and families of victims, who for years have denounced the crisis without being heard. To this end, it is interesting to follow the implementation of this ruling, since failure to implement it could set a negative precedent for other cases of serious human rights violations related to environmental pollution. However, it remains to be seen whether the government will actually implement an effective recovery plan or whether Tierra de los Fuegos will remain the symbol of political negligence, criminal impunity and the sacrifice of an entire region in the name of economic gain.