Major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances. Focus more than 40 years after the Seveso accident

In July 1976 the release of a cloud containing 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin (TCDD), ethylene glycol and sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) from the plant for the production of 2,4,5-tricolorophenol (TCP) of the chemical industry ICMESA (Industrie Chimiche Meda Società Azionaria) located in the Municipality of Meda in Italy, caused heavy health problems in about 240 people, the contamination of about 108 hectares of land, and serious chronic damage in the medium and long term; about 6'000 people were affected by the consequences of dioxin contamination (Ziglioli, 2010). This accident known as the Seveso disaster from the name of the most affected Municipality, related with other similar events occurred in Europe in those years, led to take in high regard the issue of industrial accidents. The European Union set up specific regulations in which the hazard of an industrial accident is determinate by the seriousness of the consequences produced, and by the probability that an event can occur during the life of the installation. Forty years after the Seveso accident much has been done to increase knowledge and awareness about the risks related to the possible occurrence of major accidents: on the one hand, applying regulatory instruments more and more revised and updated; on the other hand with the continuous improvement of specific skills in the operators involved, which allows to ménage with greater awareness the events that occurred.