Pure Earth
Pure Earth is a private organization founded in New York in 1999 under the name Blacksmith Institute , which supports projects to eliminate serious environmental pollution . In doing so, they work closely with non-governmental organizations and the governments concerned. Among other things, it provides strategic, technical and financial support by finding experts for the respective problem and finding sponsors to finance the clean-up work.
The institute was named after the English word for blacksmith , as he used to work in the dirtiest of environments and still create useful, practical and durable things. The name change to Pure Earth , which took place in March 2015, was made at the suggestion of Dev Patel , the main actor in the film Slumdog Millionaire , as he would positively represent the intention of the institute in two words.
Lists of the most polluted places
In November 2003, the institute started its Polluted Places Initiative to identify highly polluted places in the world. Locations that are still largely unknown were identified through an online nomination. These were then checked and reports made. Contact was then made with governments, local businesses and local stakeholders.
On October 18, 2006, the institute published a list of the most polluted places for the first time. Previously, 300 locations around the world were examined and the ten most polluted locations were identified. Global pollution makes people sick and is responsible for up to 20 percent of all deaths in the locations listed, said Richard Fuller, the institute's director, commenting on his findings.
It was decided not to put the locations in a final ranking. It is bad enough to be on the list of the ten most polluted places in the world; there is no need to point to one of these cities and declare it the worst.
The top 10 (in alphabetical order, as of 2006)
| City Country | Potentially affected population | Affected medium | Pollutants | cause | Current countermeasures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dzerzhinsk , Russia | 300,000 | Water, soil | Residues ( chemicals , toxic by-products) from the time of chemical weapons production in the Cold War , etc. a. Sarin , VX , Lewisite and lead | State chemical weapons production facilities, industrial plant | in planning |
| Haina , Dominican Republic | 85,000 | ground | lead | Battery recycling | no |
| Kabwe , Zambia | 250,000 | ground | Lead , cadmium | Mining | Restructuring process with the support of the World Bank started |
| La Oroya , Peru | 35,000 | Air, ground | Lead , copper , zinc , sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), | Ore extraction and smelting | unknown |
| Linfen , Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China | 3,000,000 | Air Water | Fly ash , carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO x ), sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), fine dust (PM 2.5 , (PM 10 )), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), arsenic , lead | Various industrial companies | unknown |
| Mailuussuu , Kyrgyzstan | 23,000 | Water, soil | Radioactive uranium waste, heavy metals, cyanides | former uranium factory | planned (support from World Bank ) |
| Norilsk , Russia | 134,000 | Air, water, soil | Dust, etc. a. 137 Cs , 90 Sr , sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), nitrogen oxides (NO x ), nickel , copper , cobalt , lead , selenium , phenols | Mining and smelting works | unknown |
| Ranipet , India | 3,500,000 | Water, soil | Tannery waste, etc. a. Chromium compounds, azo dyes | Tanneries | planned |
| Rudnaya Pristan ( Dalnegorsk ), Russia | 90,000 | ground | Lead , cadmium , mercury , antimony | Mining | no |
| Chernobyl , Ukraine | original 5.5 million | Water, soil | Uranium , plutonium , radioactive iodine , 137 Cs , 90 Sr , and other metals | Chernobyl nuclear power plant | constantly |
The top 10 (in alphabetical order, as of 2007)
In 2007 a list of the most polluted places was published again, this time in cooperation with Green Cross Switzerland . The places Haina , Mailuussuu , Ranipet and Rudnaja Pristan are no longer in the top ten.
| City Country | Potentially affected population | Affected medium | Pollutants | cause | Current countermeasures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dzerzhinsk , Russia | 300,000 | Water, soil | Residues ( chemicals , toxic by-products) from the time of chemical weapons production in the Cold War , etc. a. Sarin , VX , Lewisite and lead | State Chemical weapons production plants, industrial plant | in planning |
| Kabwe , Zambia | 255,000 | ground | Lead , cadmium | Mining | Restructuring process with the support of the World Bank started |
| La Oroya , Peru | 35,000 | Air, ground | Lead , copper , zinc , sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), | Ore extraction and smelting | unknown |
| Linfen , Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China | 3,000,000 | Air Water | Fly ash , carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO x ), sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), fine dust (PM 2.5 , (PM 10 )), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), arsenic , lead | Various industrial companies | unknown |
| Norilsk , Russia | 134,000 | Air, water, soil | Dust, etc. a. 137 Cs , 90 Sr , sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), nitrogen oxides (NO x ), nickel , copper , cobalt , lead , selenium , phenols | Mining and smelting works | unknown |
| Sukinda , Orissa , India | 2,600,000 | Water, soil, air | chrome | Chrome mining and processing industries | no |
| Sumqayıt , Azerbaijan | 275,000 | Air, ground | Carbon , petroleum , heavy metals like mercury | Various industries, mainly petroleum | |
| Tianying , People's Republic of China | 140,000 | Air, ground | Lead and other heavy metals | Mining and smelting | |
| Chernobyl , Ukraine | original 5.5 million | Water, soil | Uranium , plutonium , radioactive iodine , 137 Cs , 90 Sr , and other metals | Chernobyl nuclear power plant | constantly |
| Vapi , Gujarat , India | 71,000 | Soil, water, air | Chemicals and heavy metals | Various industrial companies |
2008
In 2008 the Blacksmith Institute and Green Cross Switzerland changed their system slightly. Instead of drawing attention to a few places, they published a slightly different top ten list than in previous years: the World's Worst Pollution Problems , the pollution problems that cause the most damage in the world.
In addition, further lists were created:
- "The 4 Most Ignored Environmental Problems"
- "The top 8 of those environmental protection problems that particularly affect children"
- "The top 7 environmental problems in Africa"
- "The top 4 environmental problems from which future generations will particularly suffer"
The top 10 (in alphabetical order, as of 2013)
In 2013 a list of the most polluted places was published again. Again in cooperation with Green Cross Switzerland . The places La Oroya , Linfen , Sukinda, Sumqayıt , Tianying and Vapi are no longer in the top 10.
| City Country | Potentially affected population | Affected medium | Pollutants | cause | Current countermeasures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agbogbloshie in Accra , Ghana | 40,000 to 250,000 | Air, water, soil | Lead , cadmium , mercury | Electronic waste landfill in Agbogbloshie | Refurbishment process since 2008, but so far only minor successes |
| Mouth of the Citarum, near Jakarta ( Java ) | 500,000 direct, 5 million indirect | Water, soil | Chemicals including lead, cadmium, chromium and pesticides | untreated industrial wastewater from the capital | Remedy started with credit funds from the Asian Development Bank |
| Dzerzhinsk , Russia | 300,000 | Water, soil | Residues ( chemicals , toxic by-products) from the time of chemical weapons production in the Cold War , etc. a. Sarin , VX , Lewisite and lead | State Chemical weapons production plants, industrial plant | in planning |
| Hāzāribāgh in Dhaka , Bangladesh | 160,000 | Water, air | chrome | around 250 tanneries | unknown |
| Kabwe , Zambia | 300,000 | ground | Lead , cadmium | Mining | Redevelopment process makes significant progress |
| South and Central Kalimantan , Borneo , Indonesia | 225,000 | Air Water | Mercury, cadmium | Artisanal gold extraction using the amalgam process | Educational work with the gold miners |
| Río Matanza-Riachuelo in Buenos Aires , Argentina | 20,000 | Water, soil | Heavy metals and volatile organic compounds , especially toluene | Industrial wastewater, especially dye works | Restoration started with substantial credit from the World Bank |
| Oil spill in the Niger Delta , Nigeria | unknown | Water, soil | Petroleum and hydrocarbons | Oil production | uncertain |
| Norilsk , Russia | 134,000 | Air, water, soil | Dust, etc. a. 137 Cs , 90 Sr , sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), nitrogen oxides (NO x ), nickel , copper , cobalt , lead , selenium , phenols | Mining and smelting works | unknown |
| Chernobyl , Ukraine | original 5.5 million | Water, soil | Uranium , plutonium , radioactive iodine , 137 Cs , 90 Sr , and other metals | Chernobyl nuclear power plant | constantly |
World map of the top 10
Web links
- The side of Pure Earth (English)
- Top 10 Most Polluted Places (English)
- Welt online, September 13, 2007: The list of the ten dirtiest places in the world
- Top Ten Threats 2013.pdf
Individual evidence
- ↑ pureearh.org: The Meaning of Pure Earth, and Actor Dev Patel's Role in Our Name Change . Retrieved September 27, 2015.