Metallurgical, chemical, mining plants and other economic facilities often create an unfavorable urban environmental situation. In 2006, the American non-profit research organization Blacksmith Institute published the first version of the list of the most polluted places on the planet. In the reports of 2008-2012, the Institute noted the most serious environmental problems, they do not have a list of dirty cities. In November 2013, a new version of the list was published [1] .
Content
2013
- Accra , Ghana
The type of pollution is lead. Here is the second largest consumer electronics dump in West Africa [2] .
- Pripyat , Ukraine
The type of pollution is radiation (uranium, plutonium, cesium-137, strontium-90 and other metals) [3] .
- Chitarum River , Indonesia
Type of pollution - lead, cadmium , chromium, pesticides and other substances [4] .
- Dzerzhinsk , Russia
Type of pollution - numerous toxic substances. Dzerzhinsk is one of the largest centers of the chemical industry in the USSR and Russia, including chemical weapons production [5] .
- Hazaribagh , Bangladesh
Type of pollution - hexavalent chromium . Hazaribagh is a leather manufacturing center in Bangladesh. Outdated and inefficient processing technologies are still common [6] .
- Kabwe , Zambia
The type of pollution is lead . Lead pollution occurred as a result of uncontrolled lead mining in the 20th century. Currently, the mines are closed [7] .
- Kalimantan , Indonesia
Type of pollution - mercury, cadmium. Gold was used by gold mining companies in technological processes [8] .
- Riachuelo River, Argentina
Type of pollution - volatile organic compounds, incl. toluene [9] .
- Niger Delta , Nigeria
The type of pollution is oil [10] .
- Norilsk , Russia
Type of pollution - copper, nickel oxides, other heavy metals, sulfur dioxide, phenols. In Norilsk is one of the largest centers of non-ferrous metallurgy in the world [11] .
2007
Compared to the 2006 version, the list includes two new locations in India , one each in China and Azerbaijan .
The top ten included (without a specific order) [12] :
- Sumgait , Azerbaijan
Chemical industry air pollution.
- Linfen , China
Air pollution from ash , carbon , lead , organic chemicals.
- Tianying , China
Lead pollution.
- Sukinda , India
Type of pollution - hexavalent chromium , nickel , magnesium and other metals.
- Vapi , India
Type of pollution - pesticides, PCBs , chromium, mercury, lead, cadmium. It was removed from the list in August 2009 [13] .
- La Oroya , Peru
Type of pollution - lead , copper , zinc , sulfur dioxide - vegetation in the vicinity is destroyed by acid rain (sulfur dioxide emissions).
- Dzerzhinsk , Russia
The type of pollution is chemicals and toxic by-products, Zarin , VX and the like gases, also lead , phenols (carbolic acid).
- Norilsk , Russia
Type of pollution - heavy metals ( nickel , copper , cobalt , selenium , lead ), air pollution ( sulfur dioxide ), phenols.
- Chernobyl , Ukraine
The type of pollution is radiation ( uranium , plutonium , cesium-137 , strontium-90 and other metals).
- Kabwe , Zambia
Type of pollution - heavy metals ( cadmium and lead ).
2006
The top ten in 2006 included (without a specific order) [14] :
- Linfen , China
- Gaina ( Haina ), Dominican Republic - blood lead levels are several thousand times higher than normal.
- Raniped ( Ranipet ), India - emissions from the tannery industry, tanneries.
- Mailuu-Suu , Kyrgyzstan - radioactive waste burial [15] .
- Dzerzhinsk , Russia
- Norilsk , Russia
- Rudnaya Pristan Village ( Primorsky Territory ), Russia - heavy metals.
- Chernobyl , Ukraine
- Kabwe , Zambia
- La Oroya , Peru
The complete list of the most polluted places on the planet, compiled by the Blacksmith Institute, includes more than 300 names.
Criticism
In Russia, the list of “the most polluted places on the planet,” determined by the Blacksmith Institute, is criticized:
The fact of ranking the cities, which caused such interest in this report, is immediately puzzling. No serious institute of the world ever names the three or five “leaders” polluting the environment. Always just a "team." Let's say in our country it is 36 cities. Serious science does not deal with the award of places. As for the conclusions of the Americans, they are primarily not scientific, since there is no clear methodology for assessing pollution, specific criteria are not given. Head of the Department for Monitoring Environmental Pollution, Polar and Marine Activities of Roshydromet Valery Chelyukanov [16] |
It should be noted that the Institute separately notes the lack of ranking (“awarding places”) in its list.
Notes
- ↑ New Report Cites the World's Worst Polluted Places
- ↑ Agbogbloshie Dumpsite, Ghana
- ↑ Chernobyl, Ukraine (English)
- ↑ Citarum River, Indonesia
- ↑ Dzerzhinsk, Russia
- ↑ Hazaribagh, Bangladesh (English)
- ↑ Kabwe, Zambia (English)
- ↑ Kalimantan, Indonesia
- ↑ Matanza-Riachuelo, Argentina
- ↑ Niger River Delta, Nigeria
- ↑ Norilsk, Russia
- ↑ The 2007 Top Ten of Worst Polluted Places Archived October 30, 2010 on Wayback Machine .
- ↑ Vapi, India (Update: Removed from list )
- ↑ The 2006 Top 10 of Worst Polluted Places Archived May 5, 2014 by Wayback Machine .
- ↑ The population of the Ferghana Valley is threatened by radiation - Ferghana. RU
- ↑ Blacksmith's Nightmare. How the Americans made Russia the dirtiest country on the planet. // "Russian Newspaper" - Federal Issue No. 4494 of October 17, 2007
Links
- The worlds worst 2013: the top ten toxic threats List of the most polluted places on the planet according to the Blacksmith Institute (2013).
- Details about the city of Chernobyl and the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Photos and maps.
- Report of the research organization Blacksmith Institute
- Three of the ten most polluted cities in the world are in Russia