Sixteen years after the closure offormer ThyssenKrupp steel plant of Turin, the echo of the 2007 accident, which cost the lives of seven workers, continues to reverberate in the Corso Regina Margherita area. Today, the threat persists in the form of hexavalent chromium contaminationa chemical agent known for its toxicity and danger to human and environmental health.
The recent resumption of the securing of the area, launched in October 2024has sparked public debate and worried environmentalists. The project, which will last for six years and will cost around 4.5 million euros, is financed by Arvedi Astinvolves five main phases of intervention. However, critical voices, such as that of Armando Monticone of Legambiente Aquilone, underline how this move is more of a containment than a real cleanup. “It will never be possible to create a park or build anything up there,” Monticone explained to Corriere Torino, highlighting that the area could remain a “dead zone” even after the works are completed.
The numbers and the challenge of hexavalent chromium
The hexavalent chromium present in the former industrial site of Turin represents one of the most complex environmental challenges for the city. The most recent analyzes report concentrations of up to 440 micrograms per liter in the aquifer, 88 times higher than the legal limit of 5 micrograms per liter. This figure has grown over time, indicating a persistence of the problem. Hexavalent chromium, easily soluble in water, spreads rapidly and constitutes a risk for surface and groundwater, threatening the Dora river, which runs through the Piedmontese capital, and the healthiness of the surrounding areas.
The planned interventions include the reduction of the leakage of contaminated water and the waterproofing of some parts of the site to contain the release of polluting substances. However, according to Alberto Maffiotti of Arpa Piemonte“it is not certain that a single reclamation project will be able to complete all the necessary activities”. The dynamic and complex nature of contamination requires constant monitoring and potential adaptations of the intervention plan.
Between risks and reassurances
Arpa Piemonte, the regional environmental protection agency, reassures that for residents the risk is limited to direct contact with contaminated water, an eventuality considered remote. However, the presence of hexavalent chromium in the groundwater is not only an environmental and health problem but could also influence the future urbanization of the area. The declarations of the Urban Planning councilor, Paolo Mazzoleni, have in fact opened a window for the transformation of the area into a public park, a hypothesis which however divides public opinion and environmentalists.
A controversial safety measure
According to Marcello Badiali, chemist and councilor of district 4, the ongoing intervention is only a postponement of the real problem. “We are just pushing the problem forward six years without really solving it,” he says, recalling the failure of the measures adopted in 2019. The current technique involves a “sarcophagus” which limits pollution but does not eliminate itleaving numerous unknowns open about the environmental future of the area.
The criticisms also extend to the timing and transparency of the interventions. The current operation, already extended several times, was launched only after repeated pressure from the community and local authorities. The desire to transform the area into a public park it is perceived by many as a palliativea cosmetic operation that does not address the root of the problem.
In a context of continuous efforts to improve environmental quality and address the industrial legacy, the former ThyssenKrupp area represents a testing ground for Turin and its sustainability policies. The challenge of managing and cleaning up polluted sites like this requires not only economic resources but also a long-term vision that puts public health and respect for the environment at the center.
