Asbestos, compensation of 1 million to the family of the Caserta soldier Clemente Crisci

The civil court of Rome has issued a final ruling ordering the Ministry of Defense to pay one million euros in compensation to the family of Petty Officer Clemente Crisci, who died on August 19, 2015 from pleural mesothelioma, a disease caused by exposure to asbestos during his service in the Navy.

Crisci, originally from Maddaloni ( Caserta ), served in the Navy from 1966 to 1971. According to the National Asbestos Observatory, the soldier served on several older Navy vessels, where he was exposed to dangerous concentrations of asbestos without any protection. Asbestos fibers and dust were present everywhere: in engine rooms, corridors, exhaust pipe linings, and living quarters on board the ships. For five years, Crisci breathed these toxic substances daily, creating an extremely hazardous environment.

Pleural mesothelioma, diagnosed in 2014, led to the man's death in 2015. Despite the now-known danger of asbestos, the petty helmsman had not been provided with personal protective equipment. After receiving the diagnosis, Crisci requested recognition of the service-related cause and the status of "equal to a victim of duty" to obtain the benefits of the law. However, the Hospital Medical Commission (CMO) of Rome recognized the service-related cause only in 2018, while in 2019 the confirmation of the status of victim of duty arrived.

Ezio Bonanni, president of the National Asbestos Observatory and lawyer for the Crisci family, recalled the difficulties and suffering of Clemente, who, seriously ill, was skeptical about the possibility of obtaining recognition. "He felt betrayed as a man, a citizen, and a soldier, and he knew his death was imminent ," Bonanni stated. His last phone call before his death conveyed the suffering caused by his lack of air and oxygen.

After Crisci's death, his widow and one of the orphans attended a meeting of asbestos victims in Naples, where their sadness and desperation were palpable. Bonanni recalled the moment as a meeting of impotence, especially in the face of the giant state and the Navy, which had not yet recognized the rights of the family.

Despite the pain and regret, the ruling condemning the Ministry of Defense represents a significant victory. "This ruling will not restore Clemente to his family, but it is a turning point that will help put an end to asbestos exposure on Navy ships ," Bonanni emphasized. "The final decontamination of the ships will save other lives, preventing similar tragedies from recurring ," he added, referring to the urgent need to halt the use of asbestos in the military.