A Greener Country [Weekend Open Trackback]

Pressure groups from around Naples protested in Rome last Wednesday against the illegal dumping by Mafia-controlled businesses of millions of tons of toxic waste that they say is to blame for a rise in the number of tumours among local residents. Environmentalists, doctors and local officials from what has come to be known as the “Triangle of Death” gathered outside the Senate (a few hours before Prodi’s government fall) to voice their anger at the government, which was criticized for not doing enough to resolve the prolonged crisis. “We have been screaming for years now and we have obtained nothing. Officials are simply ignoring us”, said Alex Zanotelli, a local priest.

An estimated 4 million tons of industrial waste, including asbestos, old tyres and chemical sludge, are believed to have been dumped since the 1970s in fertile lands where tomatoes grow and buffaloes used to make mozzarella cheese graze. Experts say the waste has poisoned the soil and water with carcinogenic dioxins. Four years ago, local authorities slaughtered thousands of animals after discovering dangerous levels of toxins in the milk of cattle and sheep grazing in 18 districts around Caserta, a city near Naples. According to a recent study conducted by Giuseppe Comella of the local cancer institute, the incidence of lung and liver tumours has risen significantly among residents living in the “Triangle of Death” and now matches or exceeds levels registered in Italy’s highly industrialized north. The Governor of Campania, Mr.Antonio Bassolino of Democratici di Sinistra (Left Democrats), hasn’t been able to solve the problem for more than a decade. Nevertheless, he and his party keep saying they are in favor of stricter environmentalist laws.

Campania used to consider itself a happy oasis when it comes to cancer, because they don’t have many factories. These data show that this is no longer the case. While there is as yet no definite scientific proof linking toxic waste to the rise in cancer levels in the area, experts have found plenty of carcinogenic substances where it is dumped. The toxic waste industry has rapidly become pray of the local organized crime network, the Camorra, which undercuts competitors using apparently legitimate front companies. Investigators believe toxic waste disposal and illegal construction is now the Mafia’s second biggest earner after drugs and arms trafficking. Magistrates’ probes led to dozens of arrests last year and more are expected in the coming weeks. The government has vowed to resolve the crisis by building incinerators, but local residents (backed by some far-left parties in the parliamentary majority, like The Greens) oppose this solution, saying the burning process will release more toxic substances in the air. Meanwhile, the Mafia says thanks.

Trackposted to: Perri Nelson’s Website, A Blog For All, The Random Yak, 123beta, basil’s blog, Shadowscope, Stuck On Stupid, Cao’s Blog, The Bullwinkle Blog, The Amboy Times, Conservative Cat, Conservative Thoughts, Pursuing Holiness, third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, stikNstein… has no mercy, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, Pirate’s Cove, Outside the Beltway, The Virtuous Republic, Allie Is Wired, The Uncooperative Blogger ®, Adam’s Blog, The Pink Flamingo, Leaning Straight Up, Right Voices, Sujet- Celebrities, Gone Hollywood, The Right Nation, Pet’s Garden Blog, Right on the Right, Rightlinx, and Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker.

Trackback from:

• The Bullwinkle Blog – Hokey Smokes! Caption Contest: Week 38;
• The World According To Carl – Blue Man Britney?;
• Morewhat.com – Only Fools Would Vote for Hillary Clinton;
• Freedom Folks – The (retarded) Conservative Solution To Illegal Immigration;
• Maggie’s Notebook – Troops ‘Dissent’ and ‘Protest’ to Congress;
• Faultline USA – Troops ‘Dissent’ and ‘Protest’ to Congress;
• Right Voices – Hybrids Not So Hot, Vilsack, Catholics and Bubba made $40 Million On Speaking Tour;
• Conservative Cat – The 48-Hour Key to Understanding DNA;
• Perry Nelson’s Website – Cascading Style Sheets – What a cool thing;
• The Amboy Times – Weekend Open Trackback;
• A Blog For All – Senate Democrat Fecklessness Continues;
• The Pink Flamingo – FRI FEB 23 A Taste of My Own Medicine;
• Planck’s Constant – TT 23;
• Sujet.co.uk – Oscars – The 79th Academy Awards February 25th;
• third world country – Competition for NASA?;
• The Right Nation – Italian Bloggers for Giuliani 2008 [weekend open trackback];
• Pirate’s Cove – Today’s Iraq News;
• Big Dogs Weblog – Obama Wants Focused Political Attacks;
• Conservative Thoughts – former ACLU president charged with child porn possession;
• Mark My Words – A nearly perfect reply;
• Rhymes With Right – Who Cares About Romney Family’s Polygamous Past?;
• Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker – An Inconvenient Exaggeration;
• Rhymes With Right – On Slavery’s Abolition And Religious Faith;
• Planck’s Constant – The Death of the Yellow Pages;
• Adam’s Blog – Truth and Hope Report: Weekend Update for February 24, 2007;
• The Mote in God’s Eye – Italian Bloggers for Giuliani 2008;
• Woman Honor Thyself – Gotta luv it;
• Rhymes With Right – Virginia Apologizes For Slavery;
• Rhymes With Right – Hillary Using Bill, Demanding No Criticism Of Him;
• The Amboy Times – Christian Science Dhimmi;
• The World According To Carl – Dr. John — Right Place, Wrong Time;
• Mark My Words – An Inconvenient Truth;
• Right Voices – ‘Inconvenient Lie’ wins Academy Award;
• Woman Honor Thyself – WomenS Loss of ModestY;
• Pursuing Holiness – Martial Law Now Easier – Way to go, Governor Blanco!;
• Woman Honor Thyself – Ayaan Dukes it out ..and WinS;
• Renaissance Blogger – Tomb of Jesus Allegedly Found;
• Causal Nexus – Robert Young Pelton;

_________________

- Questo è un Open Trackback. Se avete un post che volete segnalare, durante tutto il fine settimana potrete fare un trackback a questo post (l’indirizzo da pingare è questo). E’ obbligatorio che nel post segnalato sia presente un link a questo post. Le segnalazioni verranno linkate in fondo a questo post, insieme al titolo e al nome del blog. Se la vostra piattaforma di blog non permette l’utilizzo del trackback, è possibile usare Simpletrack di Adam Kalsey o Wizbang Standalone Trackback Pinger.

- This is an Open Trackback post. During the weekend, you can submit your posts to this site. The Open Trackback article URL is this. The reciprocal ping URL is this. You can also use Linkfests. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Nessun articolo correlato

Tagged as: Naples