The Eternit trial finally gets to the heart of the matter. The 8th public hearing set the beginning of the depositions. After the presentation of the plant's maps by an expert consultant, Nicola Pondrano, former Eternit worker, unionist and activist, bore witness to describe the situation at the Eternit of Casale during the 70s and the union struggle that began at that time.

Firstly, today (12/10), Judge Casalbore cut down the list of witnesses and expert consultants, to avoid facing an endless phase of depositions. The total bill of witnesses requested by the parts amount to 9.841 and this would mean the "impossibility to conduct the trial to the sentence in an acceptable time frame", said Casalbore.

The judge fixed to two the number of expert consultants (apart from the surveys on specific aspects of the case). Two will also be the maximum number of witnesses for each evidence's subject.

Cesare Zaccone, defence lawyer of the baron Cartier de Machienne, asked to cut off the Internet live streaming of the depositions and the judge disposed to interrupt the streaming service from the next hearing. In fact the Italian criminal law states that each witness has to be unaware of what the previous one has testified. Following the trial via internet, therefore, could hinder this law being abided by. It's a pity but from the 9th session on, there will be no chance to watch the trial online.

At 11 am. the trial finally stepped into the phase of the hearings of the witnesses. The prosecutor decided to start with an overview on the maps and the location of the Eternit plants in Casale Monferrato and Cavagnolo.

This survey, given by the independent consultant Elena Fizzotti, allowed to understand the magnitude of the plants and their massive influence on the surrounding town. In the case of Casale Monferrato, the route that the materials took from the warehouses to the factory and to exit the town revealed the epidemic-spreading all around the city (see the map).

After the presentation of the plant's maps, it was time for the first witness: Nicolino Pondrano. Former worker at Eternit, CGIL unionist and activist, founder and leader of the Victim's Association of Casale Monferrato, Nicola bore his witness to reenact the working situation at the Eternit of Casale during the 70s and the struggle for health regulations that began at that time. The social aspect of the asbestos tragedy burst on the trial scene with its stream of names of victims and dramatic stories.

Nicola started at Eternit at 26, working in the plant from 1974 to 1985. At the time there was no knowledge among the workers about the danger and the owners wouldn't warn them about the risk. The working environment was perceived as harmful because of the dust ("The dust was everywhere, that was the first impact you had of the plant"), but nothing hinted the risk of getting sick of cancer.

Nicola painfully reminded that he used to let his three years old daughter shake down the dust from his hair when he came home every day. "It was shocking to see all the obituaries on the notice board in the plant", stated Nicola. During the last three decades, he seen his colleagues dying one by one.

But the workers started to get a sense of the danger more every day. First was a worker-priest, father Bernardino Zanella, that drew down the first hepidemiologic inquiry during his period at Eternit in 1976.

Then the inner union of the plant settled a commission on health condition that Nicola presided. There were no safety measures at the time and no cleaning services inside the plant, so that the workers used to bring their overalls home, putting at risk their families. Furthermore, the ventilation system was very often out of order.

"From 1979 to 1986 we denounced more than 600 cases of professional diseases. In 1976 we organized the first strikes. Dust was the main problem in this plant. I've got cough and I can't breathe, said the workers".

The Prosecutor Gariniello underlined with his questions the link that some technician and the plant director had with the Switzerland headquarter of Eternit. The cross-examination by the defendant's lawyers will take place in the next hearing and it will be an in-depth questioning, promised lawyer Astolfo Di Amato,.

In spite of the will to cut down the witnesses list and speed up the trial, the judge Casalbore adjourned the 9th hearing for April 26th, 2010. The average number of hearings per months is only two.

If we consider that the hearings start at 9.30 am and end before 3 p.m, it makes a poor total of 10 hour of trial each month. At this rate the huge Eternit trial will probably never come to an end.

(By Asbestos Victims Families Casale, Asbestos in the dock, 13/04/2010)