Carla Albanese

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A cover to contain dust built with a part of the steel plant in Taranto

A Mother weighs her baby. The eyes of The Mother are dear, But your chest has to dampen to a high chimney and breastfeeding your child with toxic instead of nourishing milk.

this is The Image shown in a by Carla Lucarelli is the first painting after the death of their son Giorgio at the age of 15 years.

The chimneys, Carla explained, showing the chimneys of the Ilva, the largest steel plant in Europe. It is in Taranto, a Coastal City in Southern Italy .

Carla Lucarelli made this painting after her son died of cancer at the age of 15

"We live next to a cancer factory," she says.

your images are not only a way to work to channel the grief, But a form of protest against the huge investment, the government allows it,, and its new owner, ArcelorMittal, The World 's largest steel producer.

Three years ago, Giorgio was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. "You will never say that it is prohibited due to the pollution," Carla , The Doctors in the clinic. But after discovering that Giorgio grew up in Taranto, she adds, the look in your eyes "made, you understand Everything ".

Carla Lucarelli (L) and hold with your partner Angelo Di Ponzo, to a T-shirt that shows her son Giorgio, who died of cancer in Taranto

Since the 1970s, scientific studies of emissions from the Ilva plant that has been from the government to Health problems among the population. A current and comprehensive reports, published by the epidemiological group Sentieri, found that between 2005 and 2012, More Than 3,000 deaths were directly related to the "limited environmental exposure" to pollutants.

For some forms of cancer, Taranto prices 70% higher than the regional average. Diseases of the respiratory system, renal and cardiovascular diseases, But also on regional averages, and The Children were found to be more likely to be born with disabilities.

"We are always exposed to," says Celeste Fortunato, The Mother of a six-year-old boy. Your accommodation is right next to the plant, separated only by a "the green Hills " - a supposedly natural barrier to shield the population from the toxic dust. In the last year, But The Hills had been found, made from the factory of toxic waste.

Two schools were forced to close because of the pollutants on the "ecological Hills "

Two schools were in addition to the ecological Hills as unsafe by The Local mayor, and closed in March, forcing to travel 700 children to schools in the far distance. The Children had classes in shifts due to overcrowding.

"The last year of school was really difficult for The Children of this district and their parents," Celeste says.

and the schools will be opened, if the classes again on Wednesday.

But many of Taranto's parents have enough. Carla and Celeste have helped grassroots groups demand clean air for their children. They organized marches, sit-ins and protests, and continued on to government officials. "What are we, The Authorities ," Celeste says to ask, "is the shutdown of all sources of pollution".

in the vicinity of the factory, residents keep Windows closed to prevent windy days, and that toxic dust from entering their houses

Since 2011, The Cjeu The Italian government ordered to act - with little success. In its recent judgment in January, it was the failure of the government to protect its citizens against pollution, which was endangering their Health .

Italian courts were also unsuccessful. In 2012, a court order to shut down The Most to the environmental parts of the plant to pollute, which was repealed by the government in Rome To lose In a poverty-torn region of 20,000 jobs depended on Ilva, and your job, the Health Minister said at the time, would also have a negative impact on the Health of the people.

Community groups will be meeting in the Tamburi district of Taranto to discuss the closure of Two schools in

Local officials agree that more should be done to protect The Local population, But they do not say that The Mayor have The Power to close Ilva. That's The Best you can hope for, and The City says, are improvements in the factory.

This is what ArcelorMittal has promised. If the Luxembourg-based group took over the plant last November, it is for the purpose of 1 Euro. 2 billion (£1bn; $1. 3 billion) for an environmental plan to reduce emissions to zero, according to Henri-Pierre Orsoni, The Company 's head of engineering.

"The goal is excellence," Lord says Orsoni explained that due to the facility due to the proximity to The City , there should be standards to a higher environment than in other factories.

The Italian government, ArcelorMittal promised when it bought the plant, it would not be held accountable for any environmental damage or Health effects in the implementation of clean-up measures.

In June, the Parliament voted to revoke this guarantee - But The Move had not yet been ratified. Italy 's new Minister for Economic Development , Stefano Patuanelli , said this month that he was ready.

A statement written on a wall in Taranto reads: "steel or life, you have to choose. "

shutdown of operations during the clean-up is done, Mr Orsoni says, is not an option. "In this kind of factory, you have a lot of equipment, the 24 hours in operation. If you stop it, you destroy the plant."

While the reduction in emissions by modernising stack, the biggest visible change will be, covers for open-air mineral deposits. For decades, Northern winds the dust of these pages have picked up, and spread it over The City , leaving red stains on buildings, and Laundry facilities.

The main Dome , a large steel structure, which is an area the size of 23 football fields, and weighs approximately twice as much as the Eiffel Tower - is planned in November to be completed. By 2023, Mr Orsoni says, the whole of the environmental plan will be completed.

Taranto's parents say they fear it is too little, Too Late .

While still a sceptic, Celeste says, she believes that Ilva is always close, and improvements are The Best that can hope for you. "The economic interests", she says, "are more important than our life".

italy, air pollution, pollution

Source of news: bbc.com