On this day, 49 years ago, July 10, 1976 (June 14, 1976 in the lunar calendar), an environmental pollution accident occurred in Seveso, Italy. Residents protested On July 10, 1976, an extremely serious environmental pollution accident occurred in Italy. In the northern Italian city of Meida near Severso, highly toxic dioxin gas leaked from a chemical plant. The accident, caused by a malfunctioning pressure valve, caused about 2 tons of chemicals to spread to the surrounding area, causing local residents to develop symptoms such as heat rash, headache, diarrhea and vomiting. Many birds and animals died from pollution. Seveso residents were not scheduled to evacuate the area until more than two weeks after the spill. People protested the late official response to the disaster.