Cancer rates have soared in Casalnuovo di Napoli, Italy, where burying or burning of waste has poisoned water and landSoon after her son, Antonio, was born, Marzia Caccioppoli moved to Casalnuovo di Napoli, a town surrounded by countryside on the outskirts of Naples, to get away from the chaos and pollution of the sprawling southern Italian city.“Antonio was a strong and healthy boy, but I wanted him to grow up in a place where he could breathe clean air,” she said. Continue reading...
The article discusses the long-standing issue of mafia-linked toxic waste dumping in Italy's "triangle of death," a region north-east of Naples. Cancer rates have surged in areas like Casalnuovo di Napoli, where waste disposal has contaminated water and soil. The practice, involving collusion between the mafia, local officials, and police, was exposed in the late 1990s and has persisted despite some progress. In 2023, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that successive Italian governments failed to address the crisis, ordering Italy to develop a strategy within two years. The Italian higher health institute confirmed a link between pollution and higher cancer rates, with death rates 9% higher in the area compared to the Campania region. Despite the ruling, authorities have yet to respond officially, and toxic waste dumps remain a problem. The waste dumping business, which began in the 1980s, continues to export waste to countries like Tunisia. The ruling sets a precedent for addressing similar issues in Italy.
