The recent regulations on the management of major hazards in industrial plants, adopted in Italy in 1997, focus the attention on the risk communication process aimed at informing the general population which may be exposed to the consequences of a chemical disaster. The new model proposed seems to privilege the aspects of information related to the contents of risk message disregarding other risk communication issues necessary and important in the planning of effective information initiatives.

According to the law, risk information must be provided by the owner of the plant through an information sheet, integrated by information on mitigation measures produced by public authority responsible for the emergency planning, and immediately and integrally released to the general population by the Mayor of the town. This information sheet summarizes information on risks (regarding toxicological properties of the substances utilized in the industrial process or stored at the plant, accident scenarios related to the specific chemical substance, impact of the accident on human health and environment, emergency measures to adopt in order to mitigate the consequences which may occur in case of accident) formulated in a technical language not easily understandable by laypeople. Furthermore, as formulated, it can induce alarm due to the risk message related to adverse effects on human health that it contains.

New regulations seemed necessary to overcome bureaucratic difficulties that, in the past, interfered with the initiatives aimed at informing people on risk. At the same time, public authorities are now worried about people's reactions to the alarming contents of the risk message in absence of a serious evaluation of the information needs of people exposed to an involuntary, uncertain and incontrollable risk.

Scientific studies on risk perception show that the technical knowledge of risk factor in itself doesn't change people's attitudes and behaviours to exposure consequences of a chemical disaster; on the contrary, it can induce behaviours characterized by a greater irrationality. The increase of consciousness of risk and, consequently, the development of a correct attitude towards it, can be gained by a continuous communication process that must to be developed at the local level. Informing people on major industrial hazards and potential consequences on health is a complex process. For this reason, we propose a communication model which must take into account at least: the knowledge of risk perception and information needs of people exposed, the selection of trustworthy people responsible for risk management, particularly for risk communication, and the development of suitable procedures for the public participation to the decision making process regarding risk.