Former SIN, now under the region, La Spezia e Lerici, Liguria, Italy
Pitelli (La Spezia)
The Pitelli hills and the eastern shore of the Gulf of La Spezia: authorised and illegal landfills of industrial and hazardous waste, next to chemical plants, a power station and the port area. Metals, hydrocarbons, PCBs and PAHs are present in the soil and in the gulf sediments. It was a Site of National Interest from 1998 to 2013.
At a glance
- Status
- Under assessment
- Area
- 338 ha on land, 1,571 ha in water1
- Activity
- since 1978
- People affected
- 102,387 (2019)2
- Media
- soil, groundwater, sediment
- Kind of site
- landfill, illegal dumping, chemical works, power plant, port, asbestos
- Area. 338 ha on land and 1,571 ha at sea according to the SENTIERI site sheet (Sixth Report, 2023); perimeter set by decree of 10 Jan 2000.
- People affected. Residents of La Spezia and Lerici, 2019 census, from the SENTIERI Sixth Report.
Contaminants
Organic compounds
Fibres
Other inorganics
Mixtures and waste
Status
Under assessment
Since 2013 the site has been under the Liguria Region (site of regional interest). No public source with the current state of characterisation and clean-up could be opened: the status value is provisional and needs checking.
Story
The site includes land in the municipalities of La Spezia and Lerici and a large part of the gulf. The SENTIERI documentation lists chemical plants, a power station, the port area, asbestos work and landfills; the names given include Enel, Oto Breda, PBO and Pertusola. The start date of the activities considered is 1978.
The landfills took municipal, special, hazardous and industrial waste: the authorised one is named as Ruffino-IPODEC, while the 'Tiro al Piattello' and 'Campetto' areas are illegal dumps of industrial waste.
Documented in soil and subsoil are lead, copper, cadmium, chromium, nickel, arsenic, zinc and mercury, with hydrocarbons, PCBs, PAHs and asbestos. In groundwater: selenium, mercury, chloroform, sulphates, mineral oils and MTBE. In the gulf sediments: mercury, copper, lead, zinc, PAHs, PCBs and heavy hydrocarbons.
Pitelli was listed as a Site of National Interest by law 426/1998 and its perimeter set in 2000. The decree of 11 January 2013 handed it to the Liguria Region.
Timeline
- 1978Start of the activities considered by SENTIERI for the site.
- 1998Law 426/1998 lists Pitelli as a Site of National Interest.
- 2000Perimeter set by decree of 10 January 2000.
- 2013The decree of 11 January 2013 transfers the site to the Liguria Region.
Health
SENTIERI Sixth Report (2023; municipalities of La Spezia and Lerici, mortality 2013–2017, admissions 2014–2018): all-cause mortality below expected; all cancers in excess among men only. Mesothelioma in excess as a cause of death in both sexes, asbestosis and lung cancer in excess among men; the SENTIERI-ReNaM report had attributed 192 of the 228 mesothelioma cases with ascertained exposure to occupational exposure. Chronic lung disease: men 160 deaths, SMR 109 (90% CI 95–124); women 136, SMR 128 (90% CI 111–147). Thyroid cancer admissions: women 53 cases, SHR 119 (90% CI 95–149). In childhood and youth, an excess of admissions for non-Hodgkin lymphoma in males (8 cases at ages 0–29) and for acute respiratory infections; a deficit of asthma admissions.
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
- Medicago sativaAlfalfa, lucernePolychlorinated biphenylsPetroleum hydrocarbonsPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonsEvidence: field
- Agrostis capillarisCommon bentEvidence: field
- Arabidopsis halleriHaller's rockcressEvidence: field
- Brassica junceaIndian mustardEvidence: field
- Cannabis sativaIndustrial hempEvidence: field
- Eichhornia crassipesWater hyacinthEvidence: field
Fungi
- Funneliformis mosseaePolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonsEvidence: greenhouse
- Rhizophagus irregularisEvidence: greenhouse
- Paxillus involutusBrown roll-rimEvidence: greenhouse
- Pisolithus albusEvidence: greenhouse
- Aspergillus nigerBlack mouldEvidence: laboratory
- Agaricus bisporusButton mushroomPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonsEvidence: laboratory
The rest are on the contaminant pages.
Nearby
SIN, Massa, Carrara, Toscana
Massa and Carrara
17 km
- Pesticides (mixed)
- Chlorinated solvents (TCE, PCE, chloroform)
- Ammonia
- Petroleum hydrocarbons
Trial, Pisa, Toscana
Canale dei Navicelli, sedimenti di dragaggio
60 km
- Petroleum hydrocarbons
Mycoremediation
SIN, Livorno, Collesalvetti, Toscana
Livorno
67 km
- Petroleum hydrocarbons
- BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes)
- MTBE
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Phytoremediation
SIN, Fidenza (Parma), Emilia-Romagna
Fidenza (former CIP and Carbochimica plants)
87 km
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
- BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes)
- Coal tar
MycoremediationMicrobial bioremediation
Sources
- Riferimenti normativi per i SIN (aggiornamento 31 dicembre 2025), ISPRA, 2025
- SENTIERI. Sesto Rapporto, Epidemiologia & Prevenzione 47(1-2) Suppl 1 (scheda Pitelli, pp. 72-74; SENTIERI6_Siti_informazioni), Istituto Superiore di Sanità / Epidemiologia & Prevenzione, 2023
- Pitelli (coordinate della frazione), Wikipedia, 2026
Draft compiled from public sources, not yet reviewed.