Triangle of death (Italy)

Triangle of death, comprising the municipalities of Acerra, Nola and Marigliano, to the northeast of the city of Naples, shown within the province of Naples
Map highlighting the location of the province of Naples within Italy

The triangle of death (Italian: Triangolo della morte) is an area approximately 25 km northeast of the city of Naples in the Province of Naples, Campania, Italy, that comprises the comuni of Acerra, Nola and Marigliano. This area contains the largest illegal waste dump in Europe due to a waste management crisis in the 1990s and 2000s.[1][2]

The region has experienced a rise in cancer-related mortality that is linked to exposure of pollution from the illegal waste disposal by the Camorra criminal organization after regional landfills had been filled to capacity.[3]

The phenomenon of widespread environmental crime perpetrated by criminal syndicates like the Camorra and 'Ndrangheta has given rise to the term "ecomafia".[4]

  1. ^ "Italy discovers biggest illegal waste dump in Europe". Euronews. 16 June 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  2. ^ Day, Michael (17 June 2015). "Europe's largest illegal toxic dumping site discovered in southern Italy – an area with cancer rates 80% higher than national average". The Independent. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  3. ^ Winfield, Nicole (2 January 2016). "Italy confirms higher cancer, death rates from mob's dumping of toxic waste". The Washington Post. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  4. ^ Antonopoulos, Georgios A. (2016-06-16). Illegal Entrepreneurship, Organized Crime and Social Control: Essays in Honor of Professor Dick Hobbs. Springer. pp. 86–95. ISBN 978-3-319-31608-6.