Cancer caused by asbestos on ships, soldier recognised as 'victim of duty'

A 'victim of duty': it was with these words that the Tribunal of Tempio Pausania recognised as the cause of death of a serviceman of the Italian Navy the exposure to asbestos during his years of service. But the man could not be informed of the outcome of the ruling, as he had died some time before. He will therefore not be able to collect the EUR 200,000 that the Ministry of Defence has been ordered to pay in damages, money that will in any case be received by the victim's family. For the Sardinian court, prolonged and continuous exposure to carcinogenic fibres played a decisive role in the onset of the tumour that led to the man's death.

A court case whose protagonist is a man whose initials have been indicated with N.I. to protect his privacy. Behind these two letters is the story of a military man, originally fromLa Maddalena, where he served for twenty years working in close contact with asbestos, a highly carcinogenic fibre and therefore a health risk. The ex-serviceman worked without any kind of protection, inevitably breathing in the toxic substance that, according to the Sardinian court, caused his death.

'It was customary to spray asbestos on extensive surfaces for fireproofing, insulation and anti-condensation purposes,' is what emerged from the account of one of thewitnesses heard during the trial. A widespread practice - according to the testimony collected - on the military ships used at the time.

The deceased man's job was that of a helmsman and specialised mechanic. The killer fibre, according to the testimonies collected, was present in several places where the soldier inevitably came into contact: pipes, engine rooms, bulkheads, panels and other areas of the Arsenal of La Maddalena.

Numerous interventions - in the words of another witness - were carried out 'in the steam-fired kitchens, with external pipes completely insulated with asbestos'.