Satellite pictureFounded in 1999, Blacksmith Institute’s vision is a “clean planet for our children”.

The institute works in highly polluted locations in the developing world with the intent of mitigating human health risks from pollution.

The web site provides a database of polluted places and this is the 2006 excerpt with the ten most polluted places.

 

  • Chernobyl, Ukraine
    Potentially affected people: Initially 5.5 million, now disputed levels of effect.
    Type of pollutants: Uranium, Plutonium, Radioactive Iodine, Cesium-137, Strontium, and other metals.

  • Dzerzhinsk, Russia
    Potentially affected people: 300,000
    Type of pollutants: Chemicals and toxic byproducts from Cold War-era chemical weapons manufacturing, including Sarin, VX gas, lewisite - the poisonous effect of which is owed to its arsenic trioxide content, yperite (mustard gas), prussic acid, phosgene, dioxins and other persistent organic chemicals. Lead, from an additives manufacturer, now closed.

  • Haina, Dominican Republic
    Potentially affected people: 85,000
    Type of pollutants: Lead.

  • Kabwe, Zambia
    Potentially affected people: 250,000
    Type of pollutants: Lead, cadmium.

  • La Oroya, Peru
    Potentially affected people: 35,000
    Type of pollutants: Lead, copper, zinc, and sulfur dioxide.

  • Linfen, China
    Potential population affected: 200,000
    Type of pollutants: Fly-ash, carbon monoxide, Nitrogen oxides, PM-2.5, PM-10, Sulfur dioxide, volatile organic compounds, arsenic, lead.

  • Maluu Suu, Kyrgyzstan
    Potentially affected people: 23,000 immediate, millions potentially
    Type of pollutants: Radioactive uranium mine tailings. Gamma radiation from the dumps measures in between 100-600 micro-roentgens per hour. Heavy metals, and cyanides.

  • Norilsk, Russia
    Potentially affected people: 134,000
    Type of pollutants: Air pollution - particulates including Strontium-90, Caesium-137, Sulfur dioxide, heavy metals (nickel, copper, cobalt, lead, selenium), particulates, nitrogen and carbon oxides, phenols, hydrogen sulfide.

  • Ranipet, India
    Potentially affected people: 3,500,000
    Type of pollutants: Tannery waste, containing hexavalent chromium and azodyes.

  • Rudnaya Pristan /Dalnegorsk, Russia
    Potentially affected people: 90,000
    Type of pollutants: Lead, cadmium, mercury, antimony.

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