The Terra dei Fuochi, located between Naples and Caserta in South Italy, has for decades been the site of illegal dumping and the burning of hazardous industrial waste, with severe consequences for the health of local communities. Epidemiological studies have identified alarming anomalies: increased incidence and mortality rates for cancer, a rise in metabolic and neurological diseases, and the presence of congenital malformations.

These critical issues have also been confirmed by rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). As early as its judgment of 4 March 2010, the Court recognized the violation of the right to health for exposed populations. More recently, in 2025, it again condemned Italy in the cases Cannavacciuolo and Others v. Italy (30 January 2025) and L.F. and Others v. Italy (6 May 2025), reaffirming the State’s responsibility for failing to protect people’s lives and health from risks arising from pollution and illegal waste management.

A grassroots toxicological investigation. The project involves 100 cancer patients living in the Terra dei Fuochi who have not been professionally exposed to toxic substances. Each participant takes part by completing a medical history questionnaire and undergoing toxicological analysis in collaboration with the Sbarro Health Research Organization in Philadelphia, led by Professor Antonio Giordano. The aim is to demonstrate the link between environmental exposure to chemical substances and the development of disease.

The data collected become tools for reporting and for applying pressure on local and national institutions, in order to obtain primary and secondary prevention measures and to affirm the right to health for those exposed to environmental contamination simply by living in polluted areas. Advocacy efforts aim to fill a regulatory gap and to ensure the effective accountability of the State in protecting affected communities.

Strengthening social ties and the capacity for self-organization is an integral part of Veritas. For this reason, a methodological guide is being produced for 100 national committees, and the A Sud territorial help desk in Campania remains active as a permanent space for support, reporting, and community-building. The goal is to make the model replicable in other “Terre dei Fuochi” across Italy, so that this experience does not remain isolated but becomes a shared tool of struggle.

This dossier is designed as a tool to support those investigating the link between health and environmental contamination, presenting the Veritas project.

In this pilot study, blood levels of toxic heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were assessed in 95 patients with different types of cancer living in the Terra dei Fuochi and in 27 healthy individuals.

"La contaminazione ambientale da agenti potenzialmente nocivi per la salute umana è ormai una problematica di rilievo mondiale. Il fenomeno definito “Terra dei Fuochi”, in Campania, ne è un chiaro esempio."

The brochure presents the project’s objectives, actions, and activities in research, training, advocacy, and support for affected families, outlining a collective path toward the right to health and environmental justice.