Site of National Interest (SIN), Livorno, Collesalvetti, Toscana, Italy
Livorno
The Eni refinery and the former Enel «Marzocco» thermal power station in the industrial area north of Livorno. Soil and groundwater are polluted by hydrocarbons, MTBE, BTEX, PAHs, chlorinated solvents and metals; the port and industrial canals, once inside the perimeter, have passed to the Region.
At a glance
- Status
- Under assessment
- Area
- 200 ha on land1
- Activity
- since 1938
- Media
- soil, groundwater, sediment
- Kind of site
- oil, power plant, port
- Area. About 200 hectares on land (the Eni refinery and 12 hectares of the former Enel «Marzocco» power station) after the 2014 reduction. The roughly 577 hectares of sea left in the perimeter were excluded altogether by the decree of 17 November 2021.
Contaminants
Status
Under assessment
For the Enel area the risk assessments and the soil remediation project have been approved; for the Eni area the risk assessment and the project for operational containment of groundwater were awaiting a decision (MASE fact sheet, 2021). No programme agreement specifically for remediation has been signed.
Story
The 2003 perimeter covered the whole industrial area of Livorno and the sea in front, from the mouth of the Scolmatore canal to the lighthouse: the Eni refinery and related areas, the Enel «Marzocco» thermal power station, coastal depots, craft and industrial businesses and port areas.
Characterisation showed significant pollution of soil, groundwater and coastal sediments, attributable mainly to the refinery and the power station (closed since 2015): metals, PAHs, carcinogenic chlorinated aliphatics, light and heavy hydrocarbons, MTBE and BTEXS.
In 2014 the SIN was cut back to the private Eni and Enel land (about 200 hectares) and about 577 hectares of sea beyond the breakwaters; industrial canals and port areas passed to the Tuscany Region. In 2021 the sea area was excluded as well, with recommendations on monitoring and control. In 2018-2019 the Ministry received many reports from residents about emissions at Stagno, a district of Collesalvetti outside the perimeter.
Timeline
- 1938Industrial activity begins, according to the SENTIERI documentation.
- 2001Decree 468/2001 adds Livorno to the SINs.
- 2003Perimeter set by decree of 24 February 2003.
- 2014Perimeter reduced (decree of 22 May): port and canals pass to the Region.
- 2015The «Marzocco» power station is closed.
- 2021The sea area is excluded (decree of 17 November).
Health
SENTIERI, Sixth Report (2023; mortality 2013-2017, hospital admissions 2014-2018, regional reference): all-cause mortality above expected in both sexes, with excesses for all malignant tumours, circulatory diseases and digestive diseases. Among causes linked a priori to the site's exposures: excess of pleural mesothelioma in both sexes, of lung cancer in men and of breast cancer in women. Among the 12,956 births of 2010-2019 the prevalence of congenital anomalies (348 cases) is above the regional expectation (ratio 125; 90% CI 114-137).
Plants and fungi at this site
PhytoremediationField pilot, 2009–
Paspalum vaginatum, Tamarix gallica, Spartium junceum
CNR in Pisa (Doni, Macci, Peruzzi, Masciandaro) with the University of Pisa and the Port Authority: a pilot basin set up from December 2009, with sediments amended with compost and planted with Paspalum vaginatum alone or with Tamarix gallica or Spartium junceum; a meso-scale test also added earthworms (Eisenia fetida).
Outcome In the meso-scale test, after 9 months total hydrocarbons had fallen by about 50% and the matrix had improved physically, chemically and biologically. For metals the pilot study measured their split among sediment fractions and a mass balance: Cd and Zn were the most bioavailable, Ni and Pb sat largely in the residual fraction, out of the plants' reach.
From the literature
Species that acted on one of this site's contaminants in at least one study. The list is automatic and takes no account of this site's soil, concentrations or climate.
Plants
- Cannabis sativaIndustrial hempEvidence: field
- Eichhornia crassipesWater hyacinthEvidence: field
- Lolium perennePerennial ryegrassPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonsPetroleum hydrocarbonsEvidence: field
- Medicago sativaAlfalfa, lucernePetroleum hydrocarbonsPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonsEvidence: field
- Miscanthus × giganteusGiant miscanthusPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonsEvidence: field
- Paulownia tomentosaPrincess tree, empress treePetroleum hydrocarbonsEvidence: field
Fungi
- Funneliformis mosseaePolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonsEvidence: greenhouse
- Paxillus involutusBrown roll-rimEvidence: greenhouse
- Pisolithus albusEvidence: greenhouse
- Agaricus bisporusButton mushroomPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonsEvidence: laboratory
- Aspergillus nigerBlack mouldEvidence: laboratory
- Mucor circinelloidesEvidence: laboratory
The rest are on the contaminant pages.
Nearby
Trial, Pisa, Toscana
Canale dei Navicelli, sedimenti di dragaggio
11 km
- Petroleum hydrocarbons
Mycoremediation
SIN, Massa, Carrara, Toscana
Massa and Carrara
54 km
- Pesticides (mixed)
- Chlorinated solvents (TCE, PCE, chloroform)
- Ammonia
- Petroleum hydrocarbons
Former SIN, La Spezia e Lerici, Liguria
Pitelli (La Spezia)
67 km
SIN, Piombino (Livorno), Toscana
Piombino
73 km
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
- Petroleum hydrocarbons
- Polychlorinated biphenyls
- Chlorinated solvents (TCE, PCE, chloroform)
Sources
- Scheda SIN Livorno (copia d'archivio), MASE, 2021
- Riferimenti normativi per i Siti di bonifica di Interesse Nazionale (agg. 31 dicembre 2025), ISPRA, 2025
- SENTIERI. Sesto Rapporto - Livorno (Epidemiol Prev 2023;47(1-2) Suppl 1), con allegato "Informazioni sui 46 siti studiati", Epidemiologia & Prevenzione / ISS, 2023
Draft compiled from public sources, not yet reviewed.