West Side Story is a long-term photographic project that investigates the environmental and health consequences of industrialization in western Sardinia. Through images and personal testimonies, it documents the realityof the island’s two Sites of National Interest (SIN) — Porto Torres and Sulcis-Iglesiente-Guspinese — where industrial pollution continues to affect both people’s lives and the landscape.
These places, once a symbol of economic progress, now tell a story of degradation and broken promises.
The consequences of this contamination extend beyond the environment, deeply affecting public health. Studies have shown a higher incidence of cancer in the two geographic areas, particularly respiratory and gastrointestinal tumors, linked to prolonged exposure to industrial pollutants.
Additionally, concerns have been raised about cognitive deficits in children, potentially associated with heavy metal contamination in the air and water supply.
The long-term effects of these pollutants continue to shape the lives of those who reside in these areas, making the Sulcis-Iglesiente and Porto Torres stark examples of the human cost of industrial neglect.
"Exposure to heavy metals is associated with multiple health effects, varying in severity and condition: kidney and bone problems, neurobehavioral and developmental disorders, high blood pressure, and potentially even lung cancer."
Istituto Superiore di Sanitá
West Side Story focuses on these territories, narrating their present condition and the daily relationship between the inhabitants and an environment that still bears the marks of its industrial past.