The Blacksmith Institute has created a list and interactive map of the Top-10 worlds worst polluted places.
The list was compiled with the help of a technical advisory board including experts from John Hopkins, Hunter College and Harvard University. The Top-10 were selected from more then 300 potential sites by evaluating where human health is most at risk and where children’s lives are especially threatened.
The report available also for download from the Blacksmith Institute also notes that …most of the worst places are not generally known, even in their countries…
In difference to general assumptions, except one site (Doe Run Corp in La Oroya), none have involvement from major multinational companies. Instead, the worst pollution is from a range of sources:
- Old companies now long defunct and untraceable
- Government companies and activities, especially cold war activities
- Local or regional businesses, not international ones.
- Clusters of small artisanal activities
In some of the places life expectancy approaches medieval rates (half that of the richest nations). Birth defects are the norm not the exception and in other places children’s asthma rates are measured above 90 percent, or mental retardation is endemic.
The Top-10
- Linfen, China: active site, water/air polluted by various industries, no cleanup status known
- Haina,Dominican Republic: not active anymore, soil polluted by lead from battery recycling, no cleanup
- Ranipet, India: not active anymore, water/soil polluted by chemicals from tanning industry, cleanup planned but not started
- Mailuu-Suu, Kyrgyzstan: not active anymore, water/soil polluted by radioactive waste from Soviet-era uranium plant, cleanup planned with World Bank support
- Dzerzhinsk,Russia: still partly active, water/soil polluted by chemicals from Soviet-era chemical weapons production and others, currently planning cleanup
- Norilsk, Russia: active site, air/water/soil polluted by chemicals and radioactive materials from platinum production and other mills, no cleanup status known
- Rudnaya Pristan, Russia: still partly active, soil polluted by lead from lead mining, no cleanup
- Chernobyl, Ukraine: not active anymore, water/soil polluted by radioactive materials from Soviet-era power plant accident, ongoing cleanup
- Kabwe, Zambia: not active anymore, soil polluted by lead from lead mining, cleanup beginning with World Bank support
- La Oroya, Peru: active site plus not active areas, soil/air polluted by lead from metal mining and production, no cleanup status known
The full report with details plus summaries of 25 additional sites including sites in Europe and USA, is available from the Blacksmith Institute online.
January 13th, 2008 at 2:01
POLLUTION TO THE OROYA CITY The years 2006 and 2007 the Blacksmith
Institute have accomplished a research about the cities more contaminated to
the world and arrived to the conclusion that the Oroya City was between the 10
cities more polluted of the world: Blacksmith Institute have was benevolent;
according to my researchs to many years that I come publishing, the Oroya is
the more polluted to Peru, Latin America and of the world and every day is being more polluted: lead in blood in
children in the Ancient Oroya in average 53.7 ug/dl ( DIGESA 1999); pregnancies
women 39.49 ig/dl ( UNES 2000), new borns children 19.06 ug/dl, puerperal 319
ug/100 grams/placenta ( Castro 2003) and workers 50 ig/dl ( Doe Run 2003). Top
lead in blood accepted 10 ug/dl; present day is 0 ug/dl ( Pediatric of Academy
to USA)When the Oroya city was in hands to the
CentroMin eliminated only by the upper chimney to 167.500 meters, in average by
day in tons: sulfur dioxide 1000, lead 2500, arsenic 2500, cadmium, particulate
matter 50 and so on, more 24,000 to toxis gas product to the incomplete
combustion of the coal, without count it is eliminated by industrial
incinerator y by the 97 smalls chimneys, it is estimated 15,000 (PAMA . El Complejo Metalúrgico de la Oroya, 1996);
they add 45,000 tons by day, Doe Run envoy every three months the
concentrations of the heavy metals to
the Ministry to the Energy and Mines and
with the sames datums Ceverstav have demostrated the pollution was increased;
for example the sulfur dioxide it have increased in near to 300 %, by increment to the
production (Cederstav. La Oroya no Espera 2002 The
American Assotiation to the Environment say that the environmental quality to
the Oroya it is serius deteriorated since
that Doe Run was owner and the same
enterprise declared that the concentrations of the heavy
metals gas it is ncreased in the air: lead 1160 %, cadmium 1990 % and arsenic
6006 % (Portugal, et al. Los Humos de Doe Run 2003)
February 26th, 2008 at 23:04
I think water pollution is the worst thing ever. I wish I could stop it but it won’t be good. I’m doing a speech on it because I care about the world. I love nature and I wish this pollution stops so IT won’t affect anyones lives… it is spreading slowly… maybe in 3010, what will happen? Not a good thing. I think water pollution is one of the most worst things in the world.