The Top 10 Worst Polluted Places on Earth

More than 10 million people in eight different countries are at serious risk for cancer, respiratory diseases, and premature death because they live in the 10 most polluted places on Earth, according to a report by the Blacksmith Institute, a nonprofit organization that works to identify and solve specific environmental problems worldwide.
Top 10 Worst Polluted Places Remote but ToxicChernobyl in Ukraine, site of the world’s worst nuclear accident to date, is the best known place on the list. The other places are unknown to most people, and located far from major cities and populations centers, yet 10 million people either suffer or risk serious health effects because of environmental problems ranging from lead contamination to radiation.
“Living in a town with serious pollution is like living under a death sentence,” the report says. “If the damage does not come from immediate poisoning, then cancers, lung infections, mental retardation, are likely outcomes.”
“There are some towns where life expectancy approaches medieval rates, where birth defects are the norm not the exception,” the report continues. “In other places children's asthma rates are measured above 90 percent, or mental retardation is endemic. In these places, life expectancy may be half that of the richest nations. The great suffering of these communities compounds the tragedy of so few years on earth."
Top 10 Worst Polluted Sites Serve as Examples of Widespread ProblemsRussia leads the list of eight nations, with three of the 10 worst polluted sites. Other sites were chosen because they are examples of problems found in many places around the world. For example, Haina, Dominican Republic has severe lead contamination—a problem that is common in many poor countries. Linfen, China is just one of several Chinese cities choking on industrial air pollution. And Ranipet, India is a nasty example of serious groundwater pollution by heavy metals.
The Top 10 Worst Polluted PlacesThe Top 10 worst polluted places in the world are:
1.Chernobyl, Ukraine
2.Dzerzhinsk, Russia
3.Haina, Dominican Republic
4.Kabwe, Zambia
5.La Oroya, Peru
6.Linfen, China
7.Maiuu Suu, Kyrgyzstan
8.Norilsk, Russia
9.Ranipet, India
10.Rudnaya Pristan/Dalnegorsk, Russia
Choosing the Top 10 Worst Polluted Places
The Top 10 worst polluted places were chosen by the Blacksmith Institute’s Technical Advisory Board from a list of 35 polluted places that had been narrowed from 300 polluted places identified by the Institute or nominated by people worldwide. The Technical Advisory Board includes experts from Johns Hopkins, Hunter College, Harvard University, IIT India, the University of Idaho, Mount Sinai Hospital, and leaders of major international environmental remediation companies.
Solving Global Pollution ProblemsAccording to the report, “there are potential remedies for these sites. Problems like this have been solved over the years in the developed world, and we have the capacity and the technology to spread our experience to our afflicted neighbors.”
“The most important thing is to achieve some practical progress in dealing with these polluted places,” says Dave Hanrahan, chief of global operations for the Blacksmith Institute. “There is a lot of good work being done in understanding the problems and in identifying possible approaches. Our goal is to instill a sense of urgency about tackling these priority sites.” link....

Pollution

Land Pollution: Forever Changing Geography

When you think of land pollution, perhaps you think of general pollution like people throwing rubbish onto the side of the road but it is much more. Basically, land pollution is the decline of the earth’s surfaces caused by misuse of the land.

How Did It All Happen?

There is no one particular cause of this type of pollution. No one person or group who can be held responsible. A few examples of how this has happened would include:

• Wastes – Urban and Industrial wastes had to go somewhere, so the school of thought was to dig a large hole in the ground and dump it there. Once you cover it up then it just goes away, right? Well, eventually we learned that it takes many years for some of these things to decompose and others have yet to do so. The decomposition also led to leakage of toxins into the soil.

• Minerals – With the need of certain minerals to keep things running, such as coal, we quickly exploited our lands to strip mining. Many people got rich from this but you have to wonder at what cost to our precious Earth.

• Agricultural – Farming may seem like it would be harmless, however before we learned about proper crop rotation and fertilization, we would abuse the land with one type of crop and when the land would no longer produce because we stripped it of its vital nutrients, then we would abandon that land and move on.

How Can We Stop It?

Thankfully, we have learned a few expensive lessons along the way. Many new laws were instilled to prevent strip mining, crowded landfills, and proper crop rotation and fertilization. However, we have much more work to do and we all can help. A few suggestions:

• The three R’s – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. We have all heard of these three words, but they become increasingly important. We need to reduce the amount of waste that needs disposal and smart buying can help to do this. Reuse an item for another purpose instead of buying an additional item; so get your creativity cap on and think how an item can be used again. Recycle anything and everything you can. Get your local government involved and get a program started in your area. Another idea is to bring your unwanted clothes and household items to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army so others can benefit.

• Budgeting – Budget your fuel usage in your car and at home. Doing this will lessen the demand of fuel and will conserve our fossil fuels. Lump your errands together and put on a sweater instead of turning up the heat. Also, learning about alternative fuels and getting local government involved in the solution is always a good idea.

• Smart gardening – Having your own garden provides enjoyment and fresh food for you. However, take on the organic way of gardening so you are not dumping pesticides and chemical fertilizers into your own soil.Land pollution has been in the making ever since man started learning what the soil can provide us. We are supposed to get smarter as we evolve and hopefully greed and productivity do not get in the way of that. link....

Waste Management

Hazardous Waste Managemen

All new forms of technology have always had their brighter as well as the negative sides. The umpteen numbers of technological advances made by man in the last few decades have made it possible to tackle any sorts of problems which even include those created by the side effects of growth and industrial advancement.However, in the present times, the most important benefit of technology is the process of conservation and management of resources to its maximum possible extent, thereby leading to an enhancement of reserves of energy and resources in all forms. The ScenarioThe mammoth industrial advancement in the last few years across the globe have surely fed millions and given employment and prosperity to families all over. However, fallouts such as an increase in the amounts of hazardous waste have also occurred, leading to the need of development of all new techniques to handle the same.Hence, such a scenario makes it critical that concepts such as hazardous waste management be given their due importance in the world of research and development. The first and foremost aspect of the study of hazardous waste management is the correlation between the kind of waste products and the method being adopted to handle the same. In most of the cases, hazardous waste management ought to revolve around the dual purpose of energy conservation, which includes recycling as well as hygienic disposal of waste materials which have no apparent further value.Moving on, the second critical aspect of the study of hazardous waste management is the cost to be incurred on the management of the waste vis-à-vis the actual benefits expected out of the process. The cost and benefit analysis should ideally turn up a favorable ratio of the amount of resources conserved and recycled as against the cost and effort that might go into the entire procedure of hazardous waste management.In addition, the third and one of the most important aspects of hazardous waste management is the role of the administration and the authorities involved in terms of laying down important legislative measures and guidelines in this aspect. Industrial units, especially dealing with such waste products should be given clear and mandatory instructions for appropriate hazardous waste management which should be further followed by appropriate supervisory measures. Any defaulters abstaining from the desirable methods of hazardous waste management should be brought to book and dealt sternly which should also set a good example for the rest of the units producing hazardous waste products. Such measures along with individual attention and effort should definitely go a long way in ensuring appropriate procedures for hazardous waste management. link....