Balangero mine, Balangero, about 20 km north of Turin, Piedmont

The Balangero mine, at San Vittore near Balangero in Piedmont, worked chrysotile in what the U.S. Bureau of Mines called "the most important asbestos deposits of Italy."^1,8,10 In November 1927 Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, reported "a vast deposit of Chrysotile Asbestos recently discovered near Balangero," and passed on reports that "an annual output from twelve to fifteen thousand tons could be attained."⁴ A 1931 article in the same journal said instead that near Balangero, "about 20 kilometers north of Turin, there is a vein of asbestos which has been known for a long time."¹ In 1934 the Bureau's Minerals Yearbook described the fiber as "a chrysotile comparable with that obtained in Canada."⁸

Owners

The sources date the company differently: the 1931 article in Asbestos said that "in 1928 a company, Societa Cave Amianto di San Vittore, was organized," and that it used "modern, mechanical means in mining the asbestos."¹ The Minerals Yearbook for 1968, citing Industrial Minerals of London, described the operator, Società Amiantifera di Balangero of Milan, as "a successor to Anonima Cave di San Vittore set up in 1918," associated with "Eternit SpA, a major manufacturer of asbestos cement products."² The 1976 yearbook showed Amiantifera di Balangero SpA in the Eternit Group.¹¹

Output and the mill

An Italian mining association reported, as Asbestos printed it, that of 21,400 tons produced in Italy in 1950, "20,175 were obtained from" the San Vittore company, "with mine and mill in the town of Balangero (Turin)."⁶ The Minerals Yearbook for 1957 said the mine "was reported to have attained a production of 35,300 short tons a year of chrysotile—about 98 percent of the total Italian production."⁷

In 1968, the yearbook reported, the mine was "expanded and modernized at a cost of 400 million lire" and was "now fully mechanized," with excavation and primary crushing done "in a mobile plant capable of handling 500 short tons per hour."² The same report said the open pit "employs 280," held reserves "estimated to be 70 million tons," and would let the company "maintain output at about 100,000 tons of fiber per year."² The company's advertisements in Asbestos called it the "BIGGEST ASBESTOS MINE OF EUROPE."³

Amiantifera reported, as Asbestos printed it in 1977, production of "147,968 metric tons in 1974, 150,150 tons in 1973, 130,937 tons in 1972 and 118,658 tons in 1971."¹² In 1979 the journal, writing of the mine, gave an estimate of "135,402 metric tonnes in 1978 vs. 149,327 tonnes in 1977," without saying whether the figure was for the mine or for all of Italy.¹³ The 1983 yearbook, citing Mining Magazine, rated the mine's annual capacity at "3.1 million tons of ore yielding 150,000 tons of fiber."¹⁴

The pit

According to the 1983 yearbook, "asbestos was mined from a face 170 meters high by 700 meters long," and the mine was "one of the few asbestos mines in the world with a salable byproduct," selling "nearly one-half million tons per year of high-quality crushed stone and sand."¹⁴ Asbestos reported in 1981 that "a method of mining on a narrow grid with a 400-horsepower excavator was tried and adopted."¹⁵ The 1986 yearbook said the crushed rock went to "an automated plant where the fibers were removed from the host rock, dried," and graded, and that "approximately 70% of the asbestos was used by the A-C industry."¹⁰

Dust measures

Asbestos reported that improvements in 1976 "included a system for dust-free bagging, new filters to decrease air pollution and new equipment at the open pit mine at San Vittore to cope with greater depth and larger quantities of overburden."¹⁶

The closing

The Minerals Yearbook for 1990, citing Industrial Minerals, reported that "Amiantifera di Balangero SpA closed its asbestos mine at San Vittore," and that the company had produced asbestos "for use in cement, gaskets, brakes, paint, and insulation products."⁹

The documents report this mine producing asbestos fiber for sale.¹²

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Location

Output the documents report

Figures as printed, in the units each document uses (short tons before about 1990, metric tons after, in most U.S. chapters). Some are a year's output, some a daily rate or a capacity, some a company's total rather than this mine's alone; the statement for that year below says which.

Year	Figure	Source
1950	20,175 tons	6
1957	35,300 short tons a year	7
1968	100,000 tons of fiber per year	2
1974	147,968 metric tons	12
1978	135,402 metric tonnes	13

Year by year

Every statement about this mine in the documents, in each document's own words, by the year it is about.

1927

• Exploration: “a vast deposit of Chrysotile Asbestos recently discovered near Balangero”, p. 49⁴
• Output: “an annual output from twelve to fifteen thousand tons could be attained”, p. 49⁴

1928

• Ownership: “In 1928 Societa Cave Amianto di San Vittore was organized and mines with modern mechanical means” (Societa Cave Amianto di San Vittore), p. 12¹

1931

• Description: “Near Balangero, about 20 km north of Turin, a vein of asbestos known for a long time”, p. 12¹

1932

• Description: “The most important asbestos deposits of Italy are centered around Balangero in Piedmont. The fiber is a chrysotile”, p. 8⁸
• Fiber: “The fiber is a chrysotile comparable with that obtained in Canada”, p. 8⁸

1933

• Output: “In recent years the production has been chiefly chrysotile from the Balangero mine about 20 kilometers north of Turin”, p. 8⁵

1950

• Output: “During the year (1950) 21,400 tons were produced, of which 20,175 were obtained from Soc. Cave di S. Vittore” (Soc. Cave di S. Vittore), said by Associazione Mineraria Italiana, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 42⁶
• Mill: “Soc. Cave di S. Vittore, with mine and mill in the town of Balangero (Turin)” (Soc. Cave di S. Vittore), said by Associazione Mineraria Italiana, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 42⁶

1957

• Fiber: “chrysotile”, p. 10⁷
• Output: “a production of 35,300 short tons a year of chrysotile”, as reported by Mining World (London), p. 10⁷

1968

• Worked: “The mine, operated by Società Amiantifera di Balangero of Milan” (Società Amiantifera di Balangero), as reported by Industrial Minerals (London), p. 9²
• Reserves: “Reserves of ore at the open-pit mine ... are estimated to be 70 million tons” (Società Amiantifera di Balangero), as reported by Industrial Minerals (London), p. 9²
• Ownership: “a successor to Anonima Cave di San Vittore set up in 1918 ... associated with Eternit SpA” (Società Amiantifera di Balangero), as reported by Industrial Minerals (London), p. 9²
• Mill: “has been expanded and modernized at a cost of 400 million lire” (Società Amiantifera di Balangero), as reported by Industrial Minerals (London), p. 9²
• Output: “maintain output at about 100,000 tons of fiber per year” (Amiantifera di Balangero), as reported by Industrial Minerals (London), p. 9²
• Mill: “a mobile plant capable of handling 500 short tons per hour” (Società Amiantifera di Balangero), as reported by Industrial Minerals (London), p. 9²
• Workforce: “which employs 280” (Società Amiantifera di Balangero), as reported by Industrial Minerals (London), p. 9²

1973

• Worked: “BALANGERO MINE ... BIGGEST ASBESTOS MINE OF EUROPE” (Amiantifera di Balangero), said by Amiantifera di Balangero, p. 33³

1974

• Output: “Amiantifera reports the following production figures: 147,968 metric tons in 1974, 150,150 tons in 1973, 130,937 tons in 1972 and 118,658 tons in 1971” (Amiantifera Di Balangero S.p.A.), said by Amiantifera Di Balangero S.p.A., as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 40¹²

1976

• Worked: “Prime Producer is Amiantifera Di Balangero S.p.A., Milano, operator of the Balangero Mine” (Amiantifera Di Balangero S.p.A.), p. 46¹⁷
• Ownership: “Eternit Group -> Italy: Amiantifera di Balangero SpA (N/A)” (Eternit Group), p. 6¹¹
• Dust and health: “Improvement in 1976 included a system for dust-free bagging, new filters to decrease air pollution and new equipment at the open pit mine at San Vittore” (Amiantifera Di Balangero S.p.A.), p. 54¹⁶

1978

• Output: “Production is estimated at 135,402 metric tonnes in 1978 vs. 149,327 tonnes in 1977” (Amiantifera Di Balangero S.p.A.), p. 47¹³

1980

• Description: “A method of mining on a narrow grid with a 400-horsepower excavator was tried and adopted for extraction of ore from the benches” (Amiantifera de Balangero SpA), p. 38¹⁵

1983

• Mill: “annual capacity was rated at 3.1 million tons of ore yielding 150,000 tons of fiber” (Amiantifera Balangero S.p.A.), as reported by Mining Magazine, p. 5¹⁴
• Output: “Nearly one-half million tons per year of high-quality crushed stone and sand have been sold” (Amiantifera Balangero S.p.A.), as reported by Mining Magazine, p. 5¹⁴
• Worked: “the current operation of the Amiantifera Balangero S.p.A. Balangero Mine” (Amiantifera Balangero S.p.A.), as reported by Mining Magazine, p. 5¹⁴
• Description: “Asbestos was mined from a face 170 meters high by 700 meters long” (Amiantifera Balangero S.p.A.), as reported by Mining Magazine, p. 5¹⁴
• Description: “one of the few asbestos mines in the world with a salable byproduct” (Amiantifera Balangero S.p.A.), as reported by Mining Magazine, p. 5¹⁴

1986

• Buyers: “Approximately 70% of the asbestos was used by the A-C industry” (Amiantifera di Balangero S.p.A.), p. 6¹⁰
• Mill: “processed in an automated plant where the fibers were removed from the host rock, dried ..., and graded” (Amiantifera di Balangero S.p.A.), p. 6¹⁰
• Worked: “Asbestos was produced by only one company, Amiantifera di Balangero S.p.A., from a surface mine at San Vittore” (Amiantifera di Balangero S.p.A.), p. 6¹⁰

1990

• Description: “asbestos for use in cement, gaskets, brakes, paint, and insulation products” (Amiantifera di Balangero SpA), as reported by Industrial Minerals (London), p. 5⁹
• Closed: “closed its asbestos mine at San Vittore” (Amiantifera di Balangero SpA), as reported by Industrial Minerals (London), p. 5⁹

In medical studies

Medical studies in our research library that name this mine, by how they concern it. A search found every one that names the mine and an AI reader sorted them; the quotation, checked word for word against the text, shows where. Those that name the mine only in passing or in a reference list are left out.

Studies of the mine’s workers (11)

• Calisti R 1992: An update of cancer mortality among chrysotile asbestos miners in Balangero, northern Italy: “we report on a further case of pleural mesothelioma in a man who worked at Balangero.”
• Curti S 2024: Cholangiocarcinoma and Occupational Exposure to Asbestos: Insights From the Italian Pooled Cohort Study: “Piedmont Amiantifera [1,2] Balangero Miners Chrysotile 1921-1989 974 men”
• Ferrante D 2020: Mortality and mesothelioma incidence among chrysotile asbestos miners in Balangero, Italy: A cohort study: “We studied cancer mortality and mesothelioma incidence in 974 male workers employed at least 6 months at the Balangero mine (Italy)”
• Marinaccio A 2008: Asbestos related diseases in Italy: an integrated approach to identify unexpected professional or environmental exposure risks at municipal level: “Municipalities included in ASB cluster OBS EXP SMR CI (90%) A Balangero (Crysotile mines—n = 113)”
• Mirabelli D 2008: Excess of mesotheliomas after exposure to chrysotile in Balangero, Italy: “Excess of mesotheliomas after exposure to chrysotile in Balangero, Italy”
• Piolatto G 1990: An update of cancer mortality among chrysotile asbestos miners in Balangero, northern Italy: “The mortality experience of a cohort of chrysotile miners employed since 1946 in Balangero, northern Italy was updated to the end of 1987”
• Pira E 2009: Mortality from cancer and other causes in the Balangero cohort of chrysotile asbestos miners: “we updated the analyses from the Balangero mine worker cohort with follow-up to the end of 2003”
• Pira E 2017: Mortality from cancer and other causes among Italian chrysotile asbestos miners: “employed in the Balangero mine for at least 1 year between 1930 and 1989 were included in the analysis”
• Rubino GF 1979: Mortality of chrysotile asbestos workers at the Balangero Mine, Northern Italy: “Mortality of chrysotile asbestos workers at the Balangero Mine, Northern Italy”
• Rubino GF 1979: Radiologic changes after cessation of exposure among chrysotile asbestos miners in Italy: “A morbidity study of chrysotile asbestos miners in Balangero (northern Italy) is currently in progress to update the results of Ghezzi et al.”
• Vigliani EC 1965: Association of pulmonary tumors with asbestosis in Piedmont and Lombardy

Studies of people who lived nearby (4)

• Corfiati M 2015: Epidemiological patterns of asbestos exposure and spatial clusters of incident cases of malignant mesothelioma from the Italian national registry: “In the Cirié cluster, a large number of environmental cases is explained by the proximity to the Balangero asbestos mine, closed in 1990”
• Fazzo L 2018: Epidemiological surveillance of mesothelioma mortality in Italy: “In this context, the excess found in the male population of Balangero, based on 3 cases (SMR = 309, 95%CI:105-910)”
• Fazzo L 2023: The Epidemiological Surveillance of Mesothelioma Mortality in Italy as a Tool for the Prevention of Asbestos Exposure: “The areas at major risk hosted asbestos-cement plants, asbestos mines (chrysotile in Balangero), shipyards, petrochemical and chemical plants, and refineries.”
• Maule M 2006: Spatial variation of mortality for common and rare cancers in Piedmont, Italy, from 1980 to 2000: a Bayesian approach: “the clusters reach the Lanzo Valley, where the biggest chrysotile mine in Europe (‘Amiantifera’ of Balangero, Fig. 2) was active until 1991”

Studies of the mine’s fiber (34)

• Avataneo C 2023: Waterborne asbestos: Good practices for surface waters analyses: “Chrysotile asbestos standard from Balangero former mine (Italy) was suspended in conventional tap water and magnetic stirred for about 1 h”
• Bloise A 2016: Trace elements in hazardous mineral fibres: “the highest values of Mn were detected in chrysotile from Balangero (962 ppm)”
• Choi JK 2023: Microbe-Mineral Interactions between Asbestos and Thermophilic Chemolithoautotrophic Anaerobes: “This study T. ammonificans/modified SME 75 5.5 Chrysotile (Balangero, Italy) 1.0 2 0.21 1.10”
• Daghino S 2006: Soil fungi reduce the iron content and the DNA damaging effects of asbestos fibers: “fibers were commercial samples, provided by the RSA (Risanamento e Sviluppo Ambientale) managing the Balangero (Turin, Italy) dismissed asbestos mine.”
• Daghino S 2008: Bioweathering of chrysotile by fungi isolated in ophiolitic sites: “Nineteen samples of rocks and soil were collected in the Balangero mine, over an area of 2 km2”
• Daghino S 2009: Weathering of chrysotile asbestos by the serpentine rock-inhabiting fungus Verticillium leptobactrum: “The chrysotile fibres used in the experimental work were extracted from the Balangero mine (Turin, Italy).”
• Daghino S 2012: Fungal diversity is not determined by mineral and chemical differences in serpentine substrates: “3 Verticillium leptobactrum isolates from Balangero site (BALA IS4 91, BALA IS4 213 and BALA IS4 1)”
• Enrico Favero-Longo S 2009: The effect of weathering on ecopersistence, reactivity, and potential toxicity of naturally occurring asbestos and asbestiform minerals: “The effect of weathering on three fibrous minerals from the Italian Western Alps, chrysotile, tremolite, and balangeroite”
• Falini G 2003: A new method for the detection of low levels of free fibres of chrysotile in contaminated soils by X-ray powder diffraction: “Chrysotile asbestos used for all the experiments in this study was a very clean natural sample extracted from the mine of Balangero (Turin, Italy).”
• Favero-Longo SE 2005: Chrysotile asbestos is progressively converted into a non-fibrous amorphous material by the chelating action of lichen metabolites: “The chrysotile-containing serpentinite rocks in and around the largest asbestos mine in Europe, now disused (Balangero, Piedmont, Italy), are often colonized by various lichens.”
• Favero-Longo SE 2007: Interactions of sterile-cultured lichen-forming ascomycetes with asbestos fibres: “Thalli were sampled in the abandoned Balangero mine (Lanzo Valley, Torino), until 1990 the most important asbestos mine in Western Europe”
• Favero-Longo SE 2009: Lichens on asbestos-cement roofs: bioweathering and biocovering effects: “Lichen colonization was examined on the corrugated asbestos–cement roofs of industrial sheds in the mining area of Balangero (Torino, Italy)”
• Foresti E 2003: Determination of low levels of free fibres of chrysotile in contaminated soils by X-ray diffraction and FTIR spectroscopy: “Chrysotile: asbestos employed in our experiments was a very clean sample mineral extracted from the mine of Balangero (Turin, Italy).”
• Fubini B 1995: Role of iron in the reactivity of mineral fibers: “(balangeroite and carlosturanite, the former being a typical contaminant of chrysotile from Balangero (Italy). In both iron is a constitu- tive component [36]”
• Gazzano E 2005: Potential toxicity of nonregulated asbestiform minerals: balangeroite from the western Alps. Part 3: Depletion of antioxidant defenses
• Governa M 1973: Histochemical study of asbestos fibre coating in experimental carrageenin granulomas: “Asbestos dust P 600, a commercially available asbestos dust (SocietA Amiantifera Balangero, Balangero, Torino, Italy) was used.”
• Groppo C 2005: Potential toxicity of nonregulated asbestiform minerals: balangeroite from the western Alps. Part 1: Identification and characterization
• Grosso F 2015: Asbestos fibers in the gallbladder of patients affected by benign biliary tract diseases: “Chrysotile from Balangero quarry has been analyzed using SEM/EDS to obtain reference spectra of the raw material that was used in the production process of the Eternit factory.”
• Gualtieri AF 2018: In vitro acellular dissolution of mineral fibres: A comparative study: “Among the chrysotile species, the dissolution of the UICC sample is faster than the others with the Balangero chrysotile exhibiting the slowest dissolution rate.”
• Gualtieri AF 2018: Towards a quantitative model to predict the toxicity/pathogenicity potential of mineral fibers: “As example, the FPTI has been calculated for Balangero's chrysotile”
• Gualtieri AF 2019: Biodurability and release of metals during the dissolution of chrysotile, crocidolite and fibrous erionite: “The calculated dissolution rates R normalized for the specific surface area reported in Gualtieri et al. (2018) are: 1.7(6)·10-10 mol/m2s for Balangero chrysotile”
• Gualtieri AF 2019: Structure Model and Toxicity of the Product of Biodissolution of Chrysotile Asbestos in the Lungs: “The chrysotile fibers used for the preparation of the acid-leached product are from the Balangero mine (Torino, Italy)”
• Mirata S 2022: The Acute Toxicity of Mineral Fibres: A Systematic In Vitro Study Using Different THP-1 Macrophage Phenotypes: “we chose three mineral fibres as reference samples, namely: Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) standard crocidolite, chrysotile from Balangero”
• Pollastri S 2014: The zeta potential of mineral fibres
• Pollastri S 2015: The chemical environment of iron in mineral fibres. A combined X-ray absorption and Mössbauer spectroscopic study: “Room-temperature 57Fe-Mössbauer spectra of amosite, erionite, chrysotile Balangero, 179 chrysotile Val Malenco and erionite Jersey are shown in Fig. 5.”
• Turci F 2005: Potential toxicity of nonregulated asbestiform minerals: balangeroite from the western Alps. Part 2: Oxidant activity of the fibers
• Turci F 2007: A biomimetic approach to the chemical inactivation of chrysotile fibres by lichen metabolites: “reveals an incongruent dissolution for pure chrysotile (A), with Mg removal always exceeding that of Si, while chrysotile–balangeroite (B) follows a congruent dissolution pattern in all cases”
• Turci F 2007: The combination of oxalic acid with power ultrasound fully degrades chrysotile asbestos fibres: “a commercial sample of chrysotile asbestos, extracted from the largest dismissed asbestos mine in Western Europe (Balangero, Italy), was suspended in an aqueous solution of oxalic acid”
• Turci F 2008: A new approach to the decontamination of asbestos-polluted waters by treatment with oxalic acid under power ultrasound: “A commercial sample of chrysotile asbestos, extracted from the largest dismissed asbestos mine in Western Europe (Balangero, Italy), was suspended in aqueous oxalic acid”
• Turci F 2009: Role of associated mineral fibres in chrysotile asbestos health effects: the case of balangeroite: “on one chrysotile from Balangero with some associated balangeroite, and on two tremolite samples”
• Turci F 2010: New detoxification processes for asbestos fibers in the environment: “A commercial sample (classified 6D) from the San Vittore out-of-use asbestos mine (Balangero, Italy)”
• Turci F 2012: Surface reactivity and cell responses to chrysotile asbestos nanofibers: “Power ultrasound was used to obtain nanofibers from two different chrysotile specimens, one from the dismissed asbestos mine in Balangero (Italian Western Alps)”
• Turci F 2016: Assessment of asbestos exposure during a simulated agricultural activity in the proximity of the former asbestos mine of Balangero, Italy: “This work investigates the potential exposure of a farmer cultivating a field nearby the largest former asbestos mine of Western Europe (Balangero, Italy).”
• Vigliaturo R 2020: Dimensional distribution control of elongate mineral particles for their use in biological assays: “Chrysotile asbestos was obtained from the Balangero mine in Piedmont, Italy after industrial processing/purification.”

Other names

Documents call this mine “Balangero”, “Balangero mine”, “Vittore-Balangero Mine”, “Amiantifera di Balangero SpA”, “Balangero Mine”, “surface mine at San Vittore”, “asbestos mine at San Vittore”, “San Vittore (Balangero)”, “Cave di S. Vittore”, “Balangero Mine at San Vittore”.

See also

• Balangero Mine in the Lexicon
• All asbestos mines

References

1. Asbestos Magazine, 1931, August 1931 (August 1, 1931), p. 12.
2. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1968 (January 1, 1969), p. 9.
3. Asbestos Magazine, 1973, April 1973 (April 1, 1973), p. 33.
4. Asbestos Magazine, 1927, November 1927 (November 1, 1927), p. 49.
5. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1934 (January 1, 1935), p. 8.
6. Asbestos Magazine, 1951, October 1951 (October 1, 1951), p. 42.
7. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1957 (January 1, 1958), p. 10.
8. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1932–33 (January 1, 1934), p. 8.
9. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1990 (January 1, 1991), p. 5.
10. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1986 (January 1, 1987), p. 6.
11. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1976 (January 1, 1977), p. 6.
12. Asbestos Magazine, 1977, December 1977 (December 1, 1977), p. 40.
13. Asbestos Magazine, 1979, December 1979 (December 1, 1979), p. 47.
14. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1983 (January 1, 1984), p. 5.
15. Asbestos Magazine, 1981, January 1981 (January 1, 1981), p. 38.
16. Asbestos Magazine, 1978, December 1978 (December 1, 1978), p. 54.
17. Asbestos Magazine, 1976, December 1976 (December 1, 1976), p. 46.