[REVISION HISTORY]

Italian military asbestos and occupational exposure cases

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2026-10-01 20:46 UTC → 2026-10-16 21:18 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Legal proceedings in Italy have increasingly recognized the link between military service and asbestos-related illnesses. In one case, the Italian Court of Cassation intervened to re-evaluate the rights of the children of an Air Force non-commissioned officer, C. M., who was recognized as a ‘Victim of Duty’ following his death from asbestos exposure. Ezio Bonanni, president of the Osservatorio Nazionale Amianto (ONA), noted that this case highlights how risks are not limited to the Navy but also affect Air Force personnel in technical maintenance roles. In a parallel civil proceeding, the Court of Naples granted compensation for bereavement. Separately, the Court of Rome awarded over 410,000 euros in compensation to the family of Luigi Ricci, a former Navy sergeant, though the amount was halved following a Ministry of Defense appeal. Further legal developments include a ruling by the Court of Catania, which found that asbestos exposure played a ‘determinative co-causal role’ in the death of a 72-year-old man from mesothelioma. The court designated him a victim of duty, though both the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of the Interior have appealed the ruling. The Court of Lecce recently issued a final ruling ordering the Ministry of Defence ~~has also appealed a Court~~ to pay over 138,000 euros, plus interest, to the son of ~~Rome ruling regarding~~ a former Navy ~~non-commissioned officer and electrician~~ sailor who died in ~~2020.~~ 2016 from pleural mesothelioma. The deceased had served as a naval stoker and engine driver at the Taranto military base. Recent rulings have expanded the scope of liability. The TAR Sicilia (Catania section) issued a final ruling ordering the Ministry of Defence to compensate the son of Domenico Giovanniello, a former Navy marshal and motor petty officer. Giovanniello died in 2013 from pleural mesothelioma after nearly 30 years of service. The judge recognized a direct link between the disease and his military service, ruling that the Ministry failed to implement adequate protective measures, which constituted a ‘negligent violation of worker protection obligations’. Additionally, the TAR Sardegna court held the Ministry liable for damages exceeding 260,000 euros to Cesare Salvo, a Carabinieri officer diagnosed with cancer at age 34. The court found that Salvo’s international missions in Kosovo, Ethiopia-Eritrea, and Albania involved exposure to asbestos, heavy metals, and depleted uranium weaponry without adequate protective equipment.

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