- 250 000 potentially affected
- 40 factories manufacturing chemicals
- 120 000 tons of harmful emissions
- Cancer rates 51% higher than average
2. Linfen, China
- 3 million affected
- Provides 2/3 of nation's coal energy
- Worst air quality in China, pollutants include arsenic and sulphur dioxide
- High rates of lead poisoning in children
3. Tianying, China
- 140 000 affected
- Largest lead production base in China
- Lead concentrations are 10x higher than national health standards
- 85% of air samples have lead concentrations
4. Sukinda, India
- Contains 97% of India's chromite ore
- 30 million tons of waste rock
- 60% of drinking water contains twice the national standard of hexavalent chromium
- 2.6 million potentially affected
5. Vapi, India
- 400 km belt of industrial estates
- Waste products include heavy metals, cyanides, pesticides and other toxins
- Mercury in the groundwater is 96 times higher than WHO standards
- Very high incidences of respiratory diseases and numerous cancers
6. La Oroya, Peru
- Population of 35 000 and a polymetallic smelter
- 99% have blood lead levels exceeding acceptable limits
- Very high rates of premature deaths
- Vegetation destroyed by acid rain
7. Dzerzhinsk, Russia
- 300 000 tons of chemical waste was disposed here between 1930 and 1998
- In certain places the water has levels of dioxins 17 million times higher than what is deemed safe
- In 2003 the death rate exceeded birth rate by 260%
- Average life expectancy for me is 42
8. Norilsk, Russia
- Contains world's largest heavy metal smelting complex
- 2 million tons of sulphur dioxide is released into the air annually
- Life expectancy for factory workers is 10 years less than Russian average
- 15,8% of deaths among children are caused by respiratory diseases
9. Chernobyl, Ukraine
- Location of the world's worst nuclear disaster
- 20 years after the disaster the exclusion zone still remains uninhabitable
- 5 million people inhabit the affected area around Chernobyl
- Infertility and birth defects remain high
10. Kabwe, Zambia
- Mining and smelting of zinc and lead began in 1902 and ran until 1994
- Most workers and residents of the area have been exposed to toxic levels of lead due to a waterway running from the mine to town and the inhalation of dust
- In many cases children's blood lead levels are regarded as potentially fatal
No comments:
Post a Comment