1. Chernobyl, Ukraine
Since the devastating meltdown of a nuclear power plant in Chernobyl in 1986, over five million people have been living in contaminated areas surrounding the blast. It is estimated that one hundred times more radiation than the atom bombs dropped over Japan during the latter stages of world war war two was released into the atmosphere.
There is a 19-mile exclusion zone around the plant that is totally uninhabitable, and in the areas around this zone, levels of thyroid cancer in children have risen by an astonishing 90%.
After the explosion the reactor core was buried in a concrete casing to trap any further radiation and combustible materials. This casing was only a temporary measure, meant to last 20-30 years. Efforts to build a more permanent casing are continuing to this day. CM
2. Dzerzhinsk, Russia
Dzerzhinsk was the site of major chemical weapon production during the Cold War. Approximately 300,000 tons of chemical waste were released during this time. The waste contains elements of Sarin, mustard gas, and arsenic, all of which are highly toxic.
These chemicals have turned the local groundwater into a thick white sludge, the same groundwater that the city draws all of it’s drinking water from. The average life expectancy in Dzerzhinsk is 45, and the death rate exceeds the birth rate by 2.6 times.
Plans are being drawn up for bringing clean water to the region, but the cost of such a huge engineering project means years before clean water reaches the city. CM
3. Haina,Dominican Republic
This highly populated area is severely contaminated with lead from a closed down automobile battery recycling smelter.
Studies have found alarming lead levels in the Haina community, with blood and soil levels several orders of magnitude over regular limits. The contamination is caused by the past industrial operations of the nearby Metaloxa battery plant.
The most common symptom of Haina’s pollution is lead poisoning, which affects children’s health and development.
When the plant closed in March 1997, 116 children were surveyed, and again in August 1997, 146 children were surveyed and incredibly high dosages of lead showed up. Birth deformities, eye damage, learning and personality disorders, and in some cases, death from lead poisoning have also been reported at a higher than normal rate. LH
4. Kabwe, Zambia
The Capital of the Zambian Central Province is the fourth most polluted place on the planet. The city lies on rich heavy metal deposits like lead and cadmium, which have been exploited for over a century now.
Over the decades heavy metal ore dust kicked up from the mining processes and residues from unregulated smelting process has left pollution around the city.
Soil contamination by heavy metals is at levels regarded as highly toxic and the lead, cadmium and other toxic pollutants have made it into water sources used at times by local people to bathe.
The cleanup is quite complex due to the different contaminants present, not only the heavy metals, but residues left by their ores. Many of these sulphides and oxides can be just as dangerous as the metals. The World Bank has given Kabwe Environmental and Rehabilitation Foundation (KERF) funds to clear up, and their work should commence next year. BG
5. La Oroya, Peru
An American owned poly-metallic smelter in the Andes exposed the local population to toxic emissions for 84 years. 99% of children in the nearby town have dangerously high levels of lead in their bloodstream.
Due to harmful gas emissions from the plant, all vegetation in the area has been destroyed by acid rain, and damage to the soil means the situation will remain the same for decades.
Government plans to force a clear up in the area under the Clean Air Act have been put on hold, as the plants’ owners have asked for a four year delay to give them time to produce an environmental management program.CM
6. Norilsk, Russia
Norilsk is an industrial city in the frozen tundra of Siberia, and is the second largest city in the Arctic. It is also the site of the world’s largest heavy metal smelting complex, and as a result all snowfall is black, not white.
Scientific assessments on the impact or indeed levels of the pollution are sparse because of the city’s remote location. What is known are the mortality figures. The percentage of deaths from respiratory diseases is twice as high as the Russian average.
Norilsk has been closed to all foreigners since November 2001, so it is impossible for an international aid program to be set up. Some Russian environmental groups have tried to set up remediation schemes, and have campaigned for a management plan. None of these proposals have been adopted by the Government to date.CM
7. Linfen, Shanxi Province- China
Shanxi Province is at the heart of China’s enormous coal industry, providing two thirds of the nation’s energy, and Linfen has been identified as one of Shanxi’s most polluted cities with residents claiming that they choke on coal dust.
China’s need for coal has led to the development of illegal and unregulated coal mines, steel factories and tar refineries which have diverted water and parched the land. Water is so tightly rationed that the provincial capital receives water for only a few hours each day.
Reports have discovered Linfen is the city with the worst air quality in China. The high levels of pollution are taking a serious toll on the health of inhabitants. Local clinics are seeing more cases of bronchitis, pneumonia, and lung cancer.
As with many environmental problems in China, strong resistance from business interests and corrupt officials has made improvement difficult to imagine. LH
8. Ranipet, India
A huge tanning factory in Ranipet is responsible for contaminated ground water in one of the largest urban areas of India. Over 1 million tons of solid waste – containing chromium – has been leaking into the water supply.
All wells and hand pumps in the area have been abandoned. The damage to irrigation systems in the surrounding agricultural land has lead to an 80% reduction in crop yields.
Without efforts to combat the spread of the toxins, the water basin which provides the main source of drinking water for the fourth largest urban area in India will be contaminated. CM
9. Dalnegorsk, Russia
A remote town in East Russia, contaminated with lead from an old smelter and mining works.
A recent study found that crops, houses and the water supply contained dangerous levels of lead. Young children are also displaying signs of mental abnormalities.
The smelter was shut down voluntarily after the Blacksmith Institute in America presented their findings on children’s’ health to the owner of the plant.
The local population is being educated in the dangers of lead poisoning as well as being regularly tested for signs of illness. No plan to clean up the area has been made so contamination of the land still remains a problem.
10. Mailuu-suu, Kyrgyzstan
One of the most densely populated areas in Central Asia is threatened by radioactive mining waste. A former soviet plant processed Uranium Ore in the area until 1968 and Mailuu-suu is left with a legacy of over thirty dumps, which leak heavy metals and emit Gamma radiation.
The area is susceptible to huge seismic activity, which can disturb the dumps and bring dangerous material into the populated area. The whole Ferghana Valley, with its millions of inhabitants, could be affected.
A scientific study in 1999 showed that the number of cancer sufferers in the region was twice as high as the rest of the country with farmers being exposed to significant levels of Radon.
The World Bank is now undertaking an intensive operation in Kyrgyzstan, including isolating the dumps from the water supply and improving the countries disaster preparedness. At the moment it is accepted that a disaster is imminent. CM
