Environmental Pollution from Illegal Waste Disposal and Health Effects: A Review on the “Triangle of Death”

Abstract

The term “triangle of death” was used for the first time by Senior and Mazza in the journal The Lancet Oncology referring to the eastern area of the Campania Region (Southern Italy) which has one of the worst records of illegal waste dumping practices. In the past decades, many studies have focused on the potential of illegal waste disposal to cause adverse effects on human health in this area. The great heterogeneity in the findings, and the bias in media communication has generated great healthcare doubts, anxieties and alarm. This paper addresses a review of the up-to-date literature on the “triangle of death”, bringing together the available information on the occurrence and severity of health effects related to illegal waste disposal. The Scopus database was searched using the search terms “waste”, “Campania”, “Naples”, “triangle of death” and “human biomonitoring”. Despite the methodological and sampling heterogeneity between the studies, this review examines the evidence from published data concerning cancer incidence, childhood mortality and birth defects, so that the current situation, knowledge gaps and research priorities can be established. The review aims to provide a contribution to the scientific community, and to respond to the concerns of the general population.

Heavy Metals Size Distribution in PM10 and Environmental-Sanitary Risk Analysis in Acerra (Italy)

“…Acerra is located in "triangle of death", term introduced by Senior and Mazza [22] for the identification of an area delimited by three towns: Nola, Marigliano and Acerra (Figure 1) characterized by the presence of the landfill of hazardous wastes and influenced by illegal waste dumping and burning practices [23]. The composition of landfilled wastes results in different kinds of substances, especially of toxic residues derived from final stages of the industrial processes and therefore containing metals as copper, arsenic, antimony, etc.…”

Introductory Chapter: Rural Waste Management Issues at Global Level

“…Particular geographical areas are outlined such as "triangle of death" in Campania region (area between Acerra, Nola, and Marigliano municipalities) or the extended area called "Land of Fires" which includes 88 municipalities across Napoli and Caserta provinces [8]. The magnitude of toxic dumping practice is a severe issue for an EU country where statistically all population have access to reliable waste management services.…”

Land Snails (Helix aspersa) as Bioindicators of Trace Element Contamination in Campania (Italy)

“…Metal concentrations in the different groups showed that snails accumulate certain metals (Zn, Pb and Cd) and that this bioaccumulation occurs more in the influence is clearly evident, due not only to the wide extent of local industrial and agricultural activities, but also to the illegal spillage of toxic waste and of uncontrolled fire [30]. These phenomena are in fact the characteristic of the lands between the territory of Caserta and Napoli, which must be therefore the object of intense environmental controls.…”