Ivan Atanasov v. Bulgaria

The European Court of Human Rights held that Bulgaria did not violate Article 8 of the European Court of Human Rights by failing to regulate the disposal of industrial waste sludge containing heavy metal deposits into a gold mine tailings pond located a kilometer from the applicant's residence, because the applicant failed to produce evidence of sufficiently adverse impact on applicant's health or home life. The Court stated that fear of future negative environmental concerns without any actual harm or even short-term risk of harm do not meet the severity threshold for a violation of Article 8, which recognizes the right of European peoples to respect for their private lives and homes.