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SENTINEL ARCHIVE / CASE #084

Italy

Complete ban on all asbestos production and use under Law 257 of March 27, 1992 (Legge 27 marzo 1992, n. 257). Prohibits extraction, import, export, marketing and production of asbestos or asbestos-containing products. Italy was the world's largest asbestos producer in the 19th century and home to Europe's largest chrysotile mine (Balangero, 1917–1990). The Casale Monferrato Eternit factory (1907–1986) became the center of Italy's asbestos epidemic and the global symbol of corporate accountability through the landmark Eternit criminal trial.

1992Full Ban
1992
Year Banned
—
Mesothelioma Rate
~75% of asbestos installed…
Buildings at Risk
1950s-1980s
Peak Usage Era

Regulatory Timeline

  1. 1900s

    1. 1907Event

      Eternit Italia opens its largest asbestos-cement factory in Casale Monferrato (Alessandria, Piedmont), beginning 79 years of industrial production that would contaminate the town and surrounding region.

      ↗ Source

  2. 1910s

    1. 1917Event

      Balangero chrysotile mine opens near Turin — will become the largest chrysotile (white asbestos) mine in Western Europe, producing 130,000–160,000 tons per year at peak output in the 1970s.

      ↗ Source

  3. 1980s

    1. 1987Regulation

      Mayor of Casale Monferrato issues a local ordinance banning asbestos in the municipality — the first public authority in Italy to take such action, five years before the national law.

      ↗ Source

  4. 1990s

    1. 1990Event

      Balangero chrysotile mine closes after the operating company declares bankruptcy, leaving behind a 400-hectare site contaminated with asbestos tailings.

      ↗ Source
    2. 1992Legislation

      Law 257 of March 27, 1992 enacts a complete ban on all asbestos — prohibiting extraction, import, export, marketing and production. Italy becomes one of the first countries to ban chrysotile (white asbestos). Effective April 13, 1992.

      ↗ Source

  5. 2010s

    1. 2012Court Ruling

      Turin court convicts Eternit executives Stephan Schmidheiny (Swiss) and Jean-Louis de Cartier (Belgian) for causing environmental disaster at four Italian plants including Casale Monferrato — 16-year sentences, later increased to 18 years on appeal.

      ↗ Source
    2. 2014Court Ruling

      Italian Supreme Court (Corte di Cassazione) overturns Eternit convictions — acquits Schmidheiny because the statute of limitations had expired. Victims and activists describe the ruling as a catastrophic failure of justice.

      ↗ Source

  6. 2020s

    1. 2023Court Ruling

      Novara court (Eternit Bis proceedings) convicts Schmidheiny of aggravated manslaughter for 392 deaths in Casale Monferrato — sentenced to 12 years. Turin appeals court reduces this to 9 years and 6 months for 147 deaths in April 2025.

      ↗ Source

Stories of Resistance

The people who fought for change.

Romana Blasotti Pavesi

ADVOCACY LEADER1929–2024

President of AFeVA (Association of Families and Victims of Asbestos), Casale Monferrato

Romana Blasotti Pavesi lost six family members to mesothelioma — her husband Mario, daughter Maria Rosa, son Ottavio, sister Libera, nephew Enrico, and cousin Anna — all from environmental exposure to Eternit asbestos dust in Casale Monferrato. In 1988 she became president of the predecessor organization to AFeVA, leading it through the landmark Eternit criminal prosecution that began in 2009. She wrote the preface to the IBAS monograph on the Eternit trial and built international solidarity networks with victim groups in France, Canada, the UK, and Brazil. The Italian government honored her with the title of Commendatore della Repubblica. She died September 11, 2024, at age 95.

↗ Source

Bruno Pesce

ADVOCACY LEADER1970s–present

Trade union organizer, Camera del Lavoro (CGIL), Casale Monferrato; co-leader of the Eternit prosecution campaign

Bruno Pesce led the Camera del Lavoro (Labour Chamber) of Casale Monferrato and became the primary union organizer in the decades-long campaign against Eternit. Working with Nicola Pondrano and lawyers Sergio Bonetto and Bianca Guidetti Serra, he built the legal and evidentiary foundation that enabled Turin prosecutors to bring criminal charges against Eternit executives. He served as litigation coordinator for AFeVA and was honored by the Mayor of Turin as a key protagonist of the civil and judicial battle against asbestos. When the Italian Supreme Court overturned the 2012 conviction in 2014, he described it as a 'punch in the stomach' and continued fighting through the Eternit Bis proceedings.

“Asbestos is still killing.”— France 24, November 2014 (https://www.france24.com/en/20141120-outrage-italy-quashes-asbestos-conviction-trial-century-eternit-casale)
↗ Source

Nicola Pondrano

ADVOCACY LEADER1974–present

Former Eternit worker and internal union organizer, Casale Monferrato plant

Nicola Pondrano joined the Eternit plant in Casale Monferrato in 1974 at age 24. In the late 1970s, he began documenting the pattern of premature deaths among his coworkers — funeral notices covering the factory wall for employees who had barely reached their fifties. He organized within the plant, collaborated with trade union leader Bruno Pesce externally, and became a key witness in the Eternit criminal prosecution. Despite facing intimidation — his car's windshield was smashed with a club after he began speaking publicly — he sustained the campaign through decades of legal proceedings. He was honored by the Mayor of Turin alongside Bruno Pesce as a co-protagonist of the judicial battle.

↗ Source

Key Figures in Detail

Context and sources behind the numbers

1992Ban Year

All forms of asbestos have been banned since 1992. Buildings constructed before this date may still contain asbestos materials.

Buildings at Risk

Estimated scope of asbestos-containing materials still present in the built environment.

  • ~75% of asbestos installed before 1992 remains in place as of early 2020s
  • ~2,500+ school buildings contaminated as of 2024
1950s-1980sPeak Usage Era

The period when asbestos was most heavily used in construction. Buildings from this era have the highest probability of containing asbestos materials.

Material Identification Guide

Common materials still present in buildings

asbestos-cement roofing sheets (lastre di eternit)

HIGH RISKNon-friable

1930–2000

asbestos-cement flat sheets

HIGH RISKNon-friable

1930–2000

pipe and boiler insulation

HIGH RISKFriable

1920–1980

spray-applied fireproofing

HIGH RISKFriable

1958–1978

asbestos textiles

HIGH RISKFriable

1920–1985

vinyl-asbestos floor tiles

MODERATENon-friable

1950–1980

asbestos-cement pipes
↗Learn more

What To Do If You Live Here

  • Your country has banned asbestos, but older buildings may still contain legacy materials.
  • Buildings built before the ban year may contain asbestos-containing materials.
  • Hire a certified asbestos surveyor before any renovation or demolition work.
  • Do not disturb older building materials without professional testing.

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Sources

Last updated: 2026-03-28

Information aggregated from public sources including IBAS, EPA, and WHO. Not legal or medical advice.

How we source our data →