The Seveso Disaster was an industrial accident that occurred on July 10, 1976 in a small chemical manufacturing plant approximately 25 km north of Milan in the Lombardy region in Italy. It resulted in the highest known exposure to TCDD in residential populations which gave rise to numerous scientific studies and standardized industrial safety regulations.
The Seveso Disaster was so named because Seveso was the community most affected. It is a small town with the population of 17,000 in 1976. Other affected communities were Meda, Desio, Cesano, Maderno, and, to a lesser extent, Barlassina and Bovisio-Masciago. The industrial plant was built many years ago and the local population did not perceive it as a potential source of danger.
Within days a total of 3,300 animals were found dead, mostly poultry and rabbits. Emergency slaughtering commenced to prevent TCDD from entering the food chain. By 1978, 80,000 animals had been slaughtered. 1,600 people of all ages had been examined and 447 were found to suffer from skin lesions or chloracne.
