Nowadays, we speak so much about sustainability and how to be a perfect “human being” to live besides animals. However, sometimes humans are not only a danger for animals and environments but also themselves. This is the case of “Ilva”.
Ilva is the biggest steel mill in Europe, located in Taranto (Apulia, Italy). A beautiful territory as such has been damaged as the interest of money was more important than environmental and human health.
In general, a steel mill is an industrial processing centre of steel, where the iron is transformed firstly into cast iron and then into steel. During these processes, furnaces reach very high temperatures oscillating from 1.200° C to 1.350°C and they are also quite high in dimensions as a furnace is around 100 mt height. Of course, it entails that smoke is produced.
Going back to Ilva, its name recalls the Latin name for the Island of Elba, where iron was extracted during the Nineteenth century. The story is long and troubling. Firstly, in 1905, the steel mill was located in different cities as Taranto, Terni and Piombino. During the 80s, due to the crisis of the steel domain, the steel mill was dismembered. In 1995, the part of Taranto was bought by Gruppo Riva, founded by Emilio and Adriano Riva.
The steel mill worked “undisturbed”, until on the 3rd September 2012, the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (the higher institute of health in Italy) reported the absurdly vast level of pollution and amount of people dead for cancer or preventing cardiovascular diseases in the surrounding area. The judiciary of Taranto set up the seizure of the industrial area of Ilva.
Numerous studies have been carried out to check its emissions and the effects they can provoke on humans, flora and fauna. The data are shocking. According to experts, Ilva caused 11.550 deaths and almost 27.000 hospitalized due to the tons of fine dust and harmful substances such as dioxin it produced.
The trial is called “Ambiente svenduto” which means selling the environment cheaply. Sentences have been proposed to both Riva’s. The alleged offences are “intentional disaster, poisoning of foodstuffs, wilful failure to take precautions against accidents at work, aggravated damage to public property, throwing and spilling dangerous substances and air pollution”.
After few months, Rome it is signed an agreement to reclaim the area. And when procedures to obtain the AIA ( Integrated Environmental Authorization) are done, the Guarda di Finanza of Taranto seized the last four months production, which was ready to be sold. Ilva was thrilled to stop the production and its workers occupied it. During the next years, the government planned to reclaim the area around the factory and to sell it. Therefore, an Indian multinational called “Arcelor Mittal” bought it but the damages are too heavy to be fixed and it decided to give up.
The government decided to give to whoever wishes to buy it immunity from persecution, considering that the “environmental disaster that Ilva caused and is causing dates back”.
The story is very particular but it is good to know that even if it is not anymore the ex Ilva, it is still working and polluting.
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