text:  Manfredonia hadn't been chosen at random. In 1971, less than two kilometers from the town, the Italian government had opened a state-owned Anychem petrochemical factory. A ruling from the European Court of Human Rights later found that for years, the factory had been polluting Manfredonia's air with a number of toxic chemicals. Large quantities of ammonia and arsenic had also been released in accidental leaks.