The session opens at 9.20 a.m. with the hearing of the current President of Piedmont region, Roberto Cota, who admits total ignorance of the subject and points at Ugo Cavallera, councillor in charge for Town Planning, as the “historical memory” of the present Regional Council, since he was councillor in charge of Environment from 1995 to 2005. Cavallera informs the Court about the reclamations in Cavagnolo and Casale and their costs.

Later on, the same subjects are debated by Ms Mercedes Bresso, former governor of the region, who informs the Court about the Research Centre on asbestos connected deseases opened in Casale while she was President (2005-2010).

Two former mayors of Casale Monferrato are called to give evidence: Mr Coppo (mayor from 1984 to 1988 and from 1995 to 1999) and Mr Mascarino (mayor from 1999 to 2009). Mr Coppo says that in 1983 he met the President of the Asbestos World Association, the Eternit manager Mr Costa , and that he was “warned against blaming Eternit for the deaths due to cancer because the percentage of these deaths was insignificant if compared to the deaths due to smoking”

This is what Mr Coppo says and it sounds more like a threatening than just a warning; in fact it is important to remember that at the time of the meeting the number of workers at Eternit was going down and the Eternit representative made pressures to hush up the health emergency blackmailing about the safeguard of the jobs left.

Mr Mascarino was the Mayor in the period of the reclamations which were extremely difficult, of the areas and the banks of the River Po, ended up with the demolition of the Eternit factory, by now a symbol of death. Mr Mascarino adds that the reclamations are still going on with huge problems

After the mayors, Giovanna Patrucco is called to give evidence. Her parents had a baker's shop in via Oggero, 200-300 m far from the factory, where the workers went to buy food at lunch break; Ms Patrucco's mother, who never worked at Eternit, died of mesothelioma because of the asbestos carried into her shop by the workers' overalls. She remembers it was not only the overalls to be covered with asbestos dust but also the road she used to ride on her bike to go to and from school: The dust came mainly from Eternit and also from the nearby cement factories.

Finally, Ms Sella is called. She is a housewife whose husband, a railwayman in Casale, died of mesothelioma 4 years ago. He worked about 100 mt from where the sacks full of asbestos were downloaded from the trains coming from Genova to be sent to the factory. These containers were often broken and the Railways made the workers clean the wagons using besoms which spread the dust everywhere.

The hearing is closed at 1.50 p.m. And postponed to 17th May when the Court will hear Mr Bagna, owner of the dump on the left bank of the River Po, Mss Ferrero (mother and daughter), a witness on the problem of asbestos powder and maybe also a technician who will speak of the factory in Rubiera (RE).

(By Asbestos Victims Families Casale, Asbestos in the dock, 17/05/2010)