Territorio e percezione del rischio: un approccio interdisciplinare

Sicily hosts three areas (Gela, Priolo-Augusta and Milazzo) that have been declared, by means of current legislation, «highly exposed to environmental crisis». These areas are characterized by profound alterations of the ecological balance in water bodies, atmosphere and soil, in such a manner to represent a risk for the health of the residing populations. This article aims to describe the characteristics of these areas with regard to their environmental and health conditions. Moreover, the authors present the early results, and the methodological notes of a quali-quantitative study on the perception of environmental and health risks carried out in the areas of Milazzo and Augusta. In particular, the authors discuss the methodologies deployed for conducting the study, and suggest that, in order to study these phenomena, multidisciplinary approaches based on hints deriving from economics, sociology, history and geography, are needed.