Pollution by Solvay has been long-lasting and normalised in Rosignano. One would expect that the people living in Rosignano would face health problems commonly associated with exposure to toxic waste. Marabotti et al.’s (2017) study about the mortality for chronic-degenerative diseases compares the municipalities Rosignano Marittimo (has industrial pollution) and Cecina (no industrial pollution). About half of Rosignano Marittimo’s residents live in the Rosignano Solvay borough (i.e. close to an industrial site), which has been identified as a “priority pollution hotspot” by the World Health Organization (p.2).
Note the black squares on this map denoting chemical factories. The leftmost black square shows where Solvay’s plant (Solvay Chimica Italia) is located, which I ascertained via comparison to Google Maps search of the area.
Marabotti et al. hypothesise that industrial pollution in Rosignano Marittimo causes excess of mortality from chronic-degenerative illnesses in Rosignano than in Cecina.
Compared to Cecina and even to the wider Tuscany, Rosignano does indeed have a significant excess of mortality for mesothelioma, cerebrovascular diseases and Alzheimer disease and other degenerative diseases of the nervous system.
Marabotti et al. found that the seawater monitored in front of Rosignano contained “levels of Mercury higher than the limits settled by national regulations” (p.9). They also found that the groundwater was highly polluted with chromium, organic nitrates, boron and mercury. These toxic concentrations of pollutants were found in mussels and several fish species. All pollutants except mercury (in both air and water) were particularly elevated in Rosginano Solvay.
However, Marabotti et al. qualify that because their study does not directly examine “individual exposure to polluting agents” (p.11), they cannot conclude that industrial pollution is the exact cause of the increased mortality in Rosignano as compared to Cecina.
Nevertheless, the evidence is incriminating for industrial plants like Solvay in close proximity to the Rosignano population. Imporantly, pollution is transboundary. Through the flows of the sea and groundwater, the toxins persist and spread over time and over the region, affecting many more people and ecological systems than just in Rosignano Solvay. This is worsened by the fact that the industrial waste pollutes the environment in a consistent and uninhibited manner over decades. Companies responsible for such industrial pollution certainly need to be held accountable for their unsustainable and harmful practices.
Reference:
Marabotti, C., Piaggi, P., Scarsi, P., Venturini, E., Cecchi, R., & Pingitore, A. (2017). Mortality for chronic-degenerative diseases in Tuscany: Ecological study comparing neighboring areas with substantial differences in environmental pollution. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 30(4). https://doi.org/10.13075/ijomeh.1896.00972
