5 Deadliest Cities in The World
Thu, Jul 19, 2007
1. Chernobyl, Ukraine
When you hear Chernobyl, you immediately think nuclear disaster. It was, in fact the worst nuclear accident in history. A huge fallout cloud of radioactive dust spread across vast swathes of the Soviet Union, Europe and Eastern North America. As a result, an estimated 9 thousand people have contracted cancer and died. The disaster displaced over 336,000 people. Life expectancy is low. However, according to scientist James Lovelock, Chernobyl was an ecological success: animals can now roam around free without being hunted. Environmental Graffiti disagrees.
2. Dzerzhinsk, Russia
Until recently, the city of Dzerzhinsk in Russia used to produce huge quantities of chemical weapons, including mustard gas and lewisite. Chemical weapons ceased to be produced by 1945. However, the waste was buried underground, contaminating water and crops. The site however, remains the largest producer of chemicals for the Russian Federation. Life expectancy is low at 42 for men and 47 years for women. This is attributed to the high levels of persistent organic chemicals.
3. Haina, Dominican Republic
Haina, has been referred to as the ‘Dominican Chernobyl’. According to the United Nations, the population of Haina is considered to have the highest level of lead contamination in the world, and its entire population bears the scars. The contamination is believed to have been caused by the past industrial operations of the nearby Baterías Meteoro, an automobile battery recycling smelter. Although the company has moved to a new site, the contamination still remains.
4. Kabwe, Zambia
Kabwe, the “bush capital” of Zambia was the site of a huge mine. The mine became the largest in the country until overtaken in the early 1930s by larger copper mining complexes on the Copper belt. Apart from lead and zinc it also produced silver, manganese and heavy metals such as cadmium, vanadium, and titanium in smaller quantities. The reason why the mine is on our list is that large quantities of zinc and lead tailing have made their way into the local water supply.
5. La Oroya, Peru
Since 1922, adults and children in La Oroya, Peru - a mining town in the Peruvian Andes and the site of a poly-metallic smelter - have been exposed to the toxic emissions from the plant. Currently owned by the Missouri-based Doe Run Corporation, the plant is largely responsible for the dangerously high blood lead levels found in the children of this community. Studies carried out by the Director General of Environmental Health in Peru in 1999 showed that ninety-nine percent of children living in and around La Oroya have blood lead levels that exceed acceptable amounts.
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Anonymous Says:
July 19th, 2007 at 4:29 pm5 Deadliest Cities in The World…
A list of the most deadly and polluted areas on Earth. Surprisingly China is not in the top 5. However, 11 of their cities are in the top 20….
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Las 5 ciudades más mortales del mundo Says:
July 19th, 2007 at 6:51 pm[...] desde el más obvio, y pasando por lugares que quizás ni conocíamos, este ranking, publicado por Environmental graffitti categoriza a las 5 ciudades en donde vivir, es realmente todo un [...]
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meneame.net Says:
July 19th, 2007 at 7:40 pmLas 5 ciudades más mortales del mundo…
"Yendo desde el más obvio, y pasando por lugares que quizás ni conocíamos, este ranking, categoriza a las 5 ciudades en donde vivir, es realmente todo un reto." El artículo está en inglés, pero hay una traducción no completa en http://www.art...
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pickynet.com Says:
July 19th, 2007 at 7:44 pm5 Deadliest Cities in The World…
1. Chernobyl, Ukraine 2. Dzerzhinsk, Russia 3. Haina, Dominican Republic 4. Kabwe, Zambia 5. La Oroya, Peru…
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None Shall Pass | John’s Crawlspace Says:
July 19th, 2007 at 9:51 pm[...] Can you imagine living in a city with so much underground chemical waste that the life expectancy is around 42 years? Check out “The 5 Deadliest Cities In The World”. [...]
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Caos Urbano » Archivo del Weblog » Top 5 Ciudades más mortales del mundo Says:
July 20th, 2007 at 5:54 pm[...] Environmental Graffiti Esta entrada fue publicada el Viernes, Julio 20th, 2007 a las9:53 am en la categoria Wonderland . [...]
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July 23rd, 2007 at 7:38 am[...] Read the full list digg_url = ‘http://robinnixon.com/blog/2007/07/23/the-five-deadliest-cities-in-the-world/’; digg_title = ‘The five deadliest cities in the world’; digg_bodytext = ‘Environmental Graffiti lists the five deadliest cities in the world. As you might expect, number one on the list is Chernobyl, scene of the worst nuclear accident in history. The others are: The city of Dzerzhinsk in Russia which was (and still is) used to produce huge quantities of toxic chemicals, Haina in the Dominican Republic, considered [...]‘; digg_skin = “compact”; digg_topic = “environment”; ( function() { var ds=typeof digg_skin==’string’?digg_skin:”; var h=80; var w=52; if(ds==’compact’) { h=18; w=120; } var u=typeof digg_url==’string’?digg_url:(typeof DIGG_URL==’string’?DIGG_URL:window.location.href); document.write(”"); } )() [...]
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August 5th, 2007 at 1:18 am[...] leyendo en Environmental Graffiti sobre las ciudades mas contaminadas y peligrosas en el mundo y lamentablemente una ciudad peruana [...]
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July 20th, 2007 at 9:27 am
Kabwe is not the capital of Zambia. Lusaka is (at least it was when I was there 14 years ago, and to my knowledge it hasn’t changed.
July 20th, 2007 at 10:26 am
Apologies Techietim. You are correct Lusaka is the capital - we meant to say “bush capital”. We will change this. Thank you very much for flagging this up.
July 23rd, 2007 at 2:24 am
Be a good Documentary to watch..
February 3rd, 2008 at 6:20 pm
POLLUTION TO THE OROYA CITY
The years 2006 and 2007 the Blacksmith Institute have accomplished a research about the cities more contaminated to the world and arrived to the conclusion that the Oroya City was between the 10 cities more polluted of the world: Blacksmith Institute have be benevolent; according to my researchs to many years that I am publishing, the Oroya is the more polluted to Peru, Latin America and of the world and every day is being more polluted: lead in blood in children in the Ancient Oroya in average 53.7 ug/dl ( DIGESA 1999); pregnancies women 39.49 ig/dl ( UNES 2000), new borns children 19.06 ug/dl, puerperal 319 ug/100 grams/placenta ( Castro 2003) and workers 50 ig/dl ( Doe Run 2003). Top lead in blood accepted 10 ug/dl; present day is 0 ug/dl ( Pediatric of Academy to USA)
When the Oroya city was in hands to the CentroMin eliminated only by the upper chimney to 167.500 meters, in average by day in tons: sulfur dioxide 1000, lead 2500, arsenic 2500, cadmium, particulate matter 50 and so on, more 24,000 to toxis gas product to the incomplete combustion of the coal, without count it is eliminated by industrial incinerator y by the 97 smalls chimneys, it is estimated 15,000 (PAMA . El Complejo Metalúrgico de la Oroya, 1996); they add 45,000 tons by day,
Doe Run envoy every three months the concentrations of the heavy metals to the Ministry to the Energy and Mines and with the sames datums Ceverstav have demostrated the pollution was increased; for example the sulfur dioxide it have increased in near to 300 %, by increment to the production (Cederstav. La Oroya no Espera 2002)
The American Assotiation to the Environment say that the environmental quality to the Oroya it is serius deteriorated since that Doe Run was owner and the same enterprise
declared that the concentrations of the heavy metals gas it is ncreased in the air: lead 1160 %, cadmium 1990 % and arsenic 6006 % (Portugal, et al. Los Humos de Doe Run 2003)
March 11th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
The one on Dzerzhinsk is terrible, lewisite is a gas so it’s still dangerous.
April 24th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
I am surprised Love Canal isn’t up there.
November 11th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
CONTAMINACIÓN DE LA OROYA PERÚ
La Blacksmith Institute los años 2006 y 2007 han realizado investigaciones sobre las ciudades más contaminadas del mundo y llegó a la conclusión que la Oroya se halla entre las 10 ciudades más contaminadas del mundo, Graffiti el 2008 y Blacksmith Institute y Cruz Verde de Suiza 21-10-2008 lo consideran como una de las 5 ciudades más contaminadas también del mundo; han sido muy benévola; de acuerdo a mis investigaciones de varios años que vengo difundiendo, la Oroya es la más contaminada del Perú, América latina y también del mundo y cada vez se está contaminando más: plomo en sangre en niños de la Oroya Antigua 53.7 ug/dl (DIGESA 1999) embarazadas 39.49 ug/dl (UNES 2000), niños al nacer 19.06 ug/dl, puérperas 319 ug/100 gramos de placenta (Castro 2003) y 39 ug/dl en trabajadores (Doe Run 2003). Máximo aceptado de plomo en sangre 10 ug/dl;actualmente la Academia de Pediatría de USA considera como máximo permitido 0 ug/ dl.
El 13-8-08, la concentración del bioxido de azufre (SO2) llegó a su record histórico: 27,000mg/m3; máximo permitido 13 mg/m3.
Cuando la Oroya estaba en manos de Centromin eliminaba solamente por la chimenea de 167.500 metros de altura en promedio por día y toneladas: bióxido de azufre 1000, plomo 2500, arsénico 2500, cadmio 80, material particulado 50 y así sucesivamente, más 24,000 de gases tóxicos producto de la combustión incompleta del carbón, sin contar lo que se elimina por el incinerador industrial y por las 94 chimeneas pequeñas que se calcula 15,000; en total 45,000 toneladas por día (PAMA El Complejo Metalúrgico de la Oroya, 1996); otra investigación asegura que solamente por la chimenea más alta 119¨917,440 toneladas a una velocidad de 8.7 metros por segundo (Chuquimantari C. Yauli-La Oroya Minería y Ciudades Empresas Pág. 57, 1992)
Doe Run envía cada 3 meses las concentraciones de los metales pesados al Ministerio de Energía y Minas y con estos datos Cederstav ha demostrado que la contaminación se ha incrementado; por ejemplo el bióxido de azufre se ha elevado a cerca del 300% por aumento de la producción (Cerderstav. La Oroya no Espera, 2002)
La Asociación Interamericana del Ambiente dice que la calidad ambiental de la Oroya se ha deteriorado severamente desde que Doe Run se hizo cargo y la misma empresa declara que las concentraciones de los gases de metales pesados se ha incrementado en el aire: plomo 1160 %, cadmio 1990 % y arsénico 606 % (Portugal C y Cols. Los Humos de Doe Run, 2003)