BRINGING TARANTO'S PAIN BACK TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
Taranto’s toil never ends. The Southern Italian port city, home to Europe’s largest steel plant, is undergoing a continuously worrying and worsening health situ
ation as confirmed by experts, argue Monica Frassoni, Co-Chair of the European Greens, and Antonia Battaglia, Representative to the EU of the Italian NGO Peacelink, who have been extremely active on this front both on the Italian and the European level.
Researches have produced studies and documents to prove how dire health hazards for the citizens of Taranto are, as particulates directly impact mortality in the area.
Moreover, Peacelink has very recently presented a study by the Centre for Environment and Health, which highlights the increase in cases of short-term deaths, linked to a 24-hour exposure to particulates. During what the locals call “windy days”, the wind brings an even faster death: the more the wind blows, the more Taranto dies.
Measures against this steady stream of mortality have not been taken, or not effectively enough: there are too many exemptions, there is too much law-bending and rule-breaking.
Ahead of the visit to Taranto of the European Parliament’s Committee on Petitions, scheduled for 4 and 5 November, MEPs and the Institutions they represent should be made extremely well aware of the situation.
So far Peacelink has already been heard three times by the Committee of Petitions in regards to the petition against dioxin. They are the Brussels voice of the suffering people of Taranto, and the European Greens strongly support this fight, putting it at the very front of their agenda.
Taranto’s toil never ends. The Southern Italian port city, home to Europe’s largest steel plant, is undergoing a continuously worrying and worsening health situ
ation as confirmed by experts, argue Monica Frassoni, Co-Chair of the European Greens, and Antonia Battaglia, Representative to the EU of the Italian NGO Peacelink, who have been extremely active on this front both on the Italian and the European level.
Researches have produced studies and documents to prove how dire health hazards for the citizens of Taranto are, as particulates directly impact mortality in the area.
Moreover, Peacelink has very recently presented a study by the Centre for Environment and Health, which highlights the increase in cases of short-term deaths, linked to a 24-hour exposure to particulates. During what the locals call “windy days”, the wind brings an even faster death: the more the wind blows, the more Taranto dies.
Measures against this steady stream of mortality have not been taken, or not effectively enough: there are too many exemptions, there is too much law-bending and rule-breaking.
Ahead of the visit to Taranto of the European Parliament’s Committee on Petitions, scheduled for 4 and 5 November, MEPs and the Institutions they represent should be made extremely well aware of the situation.
So far Peacelink has already been heard three times by the Committee of Petitions in regards to the petition against dioxin. They are the Brussels voice of the suffering people of Taranto, and the European Greens strongly support this fight, putting it at the very front of their agenda.