Risk communication in highly polluted areas

The risk communication illustrated in this article derives from the experience gained in Italian highly polluted areas by public institutions involved in understanding the health status of communities and in contributing to the development of primary prevention strategies, based on risk removal or reduction measures. The timespan of this research is long enough to draw some interpretation and review the experience, to observe an enlargement of the scope of public policies and actions, a better understanding and use of scientific uncertainty, a growth of public participation. From 2003 to date, the world of communication in particular changed completely: theories, tools and technologies evolved, different problems arose as long as social media influence grew until they represented a specific risk. Disintermediation dominates the scene, and the fake news phenomenon often overwhelms the capacity of public institution to cope with them.