US group maps world's pollution hotspots

A US-based environmental charity on Wednesday named the world's 10 most polluted places.

The Blacksmith Institute identified sites in eight countries affecting a total of more than 10 million people as the areas where environmental degradation presents the worst long-term health threats and, at the same, an opportunity to reverse the problems.

The group said three of the hotspots are in Russia - Dzerzinsk, Norilsk, and Rudnaya Pristan. The list also includes Ukraine’s town of Chernobyl, which was hit by a horrendous industrial accident in 1986 and Linfen, the heart of China's coal industry. The other sites affected by dire pollution are Haina, Dominican Republic, Ranipet, India, Mailuu-Suu, Kyrgyzstan, La Oroya, Peru, and Kabwe, Zambia.

Beyond the top 10, there are a further 25 sites around the world requiring swift action, the research indicated.

Azerbaijan’s third largest city, Sumgayit, founded in the 1950s as an industrial center, was also rated among areas with a high level of pollution. In 1992, the city was declared an environmental disaster zone, according to international experts. The city has a high percentage of illnesses, including genetic disorders and cancer, a study has found.

Blacksmith Institute's “Worst-Polluted Places” report was compiled by a team of international environment and health experts, including faculty members from Johns Hopkins, Mt. Sinai Medical Center and City University of New York serving on Blacksmith Institute's Technical Advisory Board. They developed criteria to rate a list of 35 highly polluted sites derived from more than 300 that have been put forward to Blacksmith for support in clean-up.*