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Refugees from the forbidden zone have been relocated in temporary accommodations near by, compensated for lost property and produce, and promised new houses equal to those they abandoned. The process has already cost Givaudan $11 million. Even so, says Housewife Caterina Rivolta, 54, "I'd give anything to move back. My husband and I saved for 16 years to buy our home. Nothing will ever replace it."
The main lesson of Seveso is that by their very freakishness, modern technological accidents raise clouds of mystery and uncertainty that last long after the initial misery. As Basilico says, weighing the future of his town and the future health of his son: "Even the professors don't know. They forecast. They warn. They show concern. But they don't know." -