High pollution lurks in most Italian cities

Most Italian cities, but especially Milan and Naples, have higher levels of pollution than regulations permit, said an environmental report released Tuesday. Coastal areas with ports and marine activity are also vulnerable, says Italy's Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA). Airborne pollution - made up of dust, smoke and hazardous substances in liquid form - exceeded legal limits in many cities, according to 2010 data collected by researchers. That included Florence, Prato, Rome, Pescara, Naples, Palermo and Siracusa. The data for the past year is substantially similar, according to the eighth "Report on the Quality of the Urban Environment". It also notes that much of the environment around the southern city of Taranto - which has been in the news because of pollution emitted by the troubled ILVA steelworks - is in a "state of fairly widespread environmental contamination". Yet the most troubled areas are the cities of Naples and Milan, the report concludes.