30 km from Turin, in the direction of the Valli di Lanzo, it is possible to see 'a chunky, barren hill, all splinters and brambles' in which 'a cyclopean conical chasm sank, an artificial crater with a diameter of four hundred meters: altogether similar to schematic representations of Hell,' as Primo Levi described it in his 'The Periodic Table,' referring to the open-pit asbestos mine of Balangero-Corio on Monte San Vittorio, the largest asbestos mine in Europe and one of the largest in the world. Asbestos, known for its heat resistance and fibrous structure, was widely used in construction and industry as a fireproof and insulating material. However, dust containing asbestos fibers—up to 1,300 times thinner than a human hair—can cause severe diseases if inhaled, such as asbestosis, pleural mesothelioma, and lung carcinoma. Mining activities at the Balangero quarry began in 1918, drastically altering the surrounding atmosphere: asbestos was an all-encompassing presence—suffocating and painful. Italo Calvino, sent by L’Unità, described the environment around the mine: 'but there are no hares in the woods, no mushrooms grow in the red soil of chestnut husks, no wheat grows in the hard fields of the surrounding villages, there is only the gray asbestos dust from the quarry that burns wherever it lands, leaves and lungs.' Calvino also described the tragedy of the workers whose memory was honored by naming the shafts they fell into after them. Like Bellezza, 'who slipped from the top of the shaft and fell in one swoop, without the edge of a step stopping him, plunging to the bottom and shattering like the asbestos chipped off by his pickaxe, and so did the other fifteen accident deaths in the thirty-five-year history of the quarry.' From 1956, the quarry transitioned from traditional shaft mining to mechanized terraced mining, giving the quarry its characteristic shape and increasing fiber production to 35-40,000 tons per year. Mining activities continued until the quarry closed in 1990 following the company's bankruptcy. In 1992, a law was enacted banning the use of asbestos in any form in Italy. After its closure, the quarry was abandoned to its fate: the remaining equipment and machinery were either vandalized or removed. Thanks to the efforts of R.S.A. s.r.l. – Società per il risanamento e lo sviluppo ambientale dell'ex miniera di amianto, more than two-thirds of the surface area has been reclaimed since 2000. The photographs aim to depict the relationship between humans and asbestos, tracing the evolution of the quarry and the gradual reduction of its hazards following remediation activities. From the harmfulness of the omnipresent fibers in the air during the extraction years, through the phases of remediation work, and finally an invitation to look towards the future of this site upon the completion of future reclamation activities following the 'crystallization' of asbestos and its securing.