Ageing and pollution in the “terra dei fuochi”

Abstract

The term “Terra dei Fuochi” refers to that territory, between the provinces of Naples and the southwest of the Province of Caserta, characterized by a history of illegal disposal of toxic substances, waste often associated with their combustion with devastating consequences for the environment, ecosystem and human health of the population living there. This case of environmental devastation is known worldwide: the scientific journal Lancet Oncology (Mazza et al., 2004) coined the term 'triangle of death', in a study on cancer mortality. Currently in Campania are 90 municipalities included in this area, of which 56 are in the Province of Naples and 34 in the Province of Caserta, with a population of 2,318,407 and 618,737 inhabitants respectively (ISTAT, 2022). A study by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS, 2020) identified 2,767 illegal landfills in 38 of the 90 municipalities; more than one citizen in three, 37 %, lives 100 meters from one of these sites. This article aims to investigate the relationship between pollution, aging, and mortality through cross referencing data from different sources, such as ISS, ISPRA, ARPAC, Campania Region, and ISTAT demo-social surveys.