The most polluted areas in the world

Four of the world's 10 most polluted areas fell into Russia, while the former Soviet Union republics 'joined' two, an independent environmental research group said yesterday.

The 10 most polluted areas in the world fall into 7 countries, of which the most ' contributed ' are India, Russia and China. People living in these areas often suffer from health problems, from asthma and respiratory-related diseases, to birth defects, premature death. That is the result of the Blacksmith Institute's research in New York, USA.

'The health of people living in those places is being eroded. But there is no solution to this problem, 'said Richard Fuller, founder and director of the nonprofit organization Blacksmith Institute.

According to him, only simple measures can make these areas safer. But for some reason they are not done.

Concerns about the increasing pollution of places when the world population is also increasing and people in developing countries like China and India increasingly buy more cars and electronics. This habit in rich countries, like the United States has been greatly restricted.

Areas heavily polluted in Russia and the former Soviet Union republics include Dzerzhinsk and Chernobyl . Until the Russian Dzerzhinsk Cold War was one of the major chemical weapons centers. And Chernobyl, Ukranie, is the place where the world's most terrible nuclear plant accident occurred in 1986.

China and India each have two regions in the top 10. Linfen , China, is located in Shanxi province, the center of the coal industry, while Tianjin is one of the largest lead production bases . this country. In Tianjin, people, especially children, have lead symptoms such as disability, brain damage and kidney damage.

Tianjin is one of China's largest lead production bases
(Photo: bloomberg.com)

Another area in the top 10 is La Oroya, Peru . This heavy metal mining area has caused 99% of children to have lead levels greater than the permitted level in the blood.

Similarly, in Kabwe, Zambia , children playing in areas near heavy metal mining and metal collecting youths also have lead levels at alarming levels in the blood, which can lead to death.

The Blacksmith Institute collaborated with the Swiss Green Cross Organization to conduct the study. However, they do not provide ranking positions because of the quality of health information in each country. This agency has been conducting research on the level of pollution in the world for 7 years. This year, Blacksmith listed a list of '30 dirty areas' and the top 10 contaminated areas.

Areas contaminated regularly in mountainous and remote areas, especially places such as coal and metal mining. In the list of 30 regions, Russia and the countries of the Soviet Union occupied 10, China 6. None of the regions in the US were in the top 10, since since the 1970s the country has enacted laws on pollution very strict. However, people in rich countries may be indirectly responsible for some types of pollution.'Most of the nickel in cars and lead in vehicles' rules can come from these places,' Fuller said.

Phan Anh