Pollution is something that is on most people’s minds in the 21st century. Ironically, it is us – the human race – that is the primary cause of all pollution in the world.
Types of pollution
There are several different types of pollution in the world, such as:
- Air pollution – caused by the release of chemicals and particulates into the atmosphere;
- Water pollution – caused by the discharge of commercial and industrial waste into surface waters such as rivers and streams;
- Radioactive contamination – caused by nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants;
- Soil contamination – caused by chemicals that are spilled or leaked over or underground;
- Waste and litter – literally, rubbish that has been dumped or not processed through recycling.
As you can see, the human race is responsible for all of these problems. Even though in recent years, more efforts have been made by nations to help combat this growing problem, many do little to nothing, further compounding this global issue necessarily.
Although many of these problems stem from developing countries, developed parts of the world such as the UK are also part of the problem. A recent article from The Guardian has even suggested that air pollution is linked to a higher risk of developing lung cancer and heart failure.
If you wondered what parts of Earth suffer from pollution the most, check out this roundup of 7 of the most polluted cities in the world.
7. Norilsk, Russia
Originally founded in the 1920s as a Siberian slave labour camp, the industrial city of Norilsk has a population of over 175,000 people. It has the largest nickel deposits in the world, and has a huge industrial complex that smelts the metal on site. You literally have to walk around with portable oxygen concentrators in order to breathe in clean air.
It is estimated that over four million tonnes of lead, arsenic and other byproducts of nickel smeltings are released into the air each year, including an astonishing 1% of the world’s sulphur dioxide emissions.
6. Dzerzhinsk, Russia
With a population of over 240,000 people, Dzerzhinsk is a principal chemical production area that is considered the world’s 6th largest polluted city. Chemical weapons were also made here between 1941 and 1965.
Illegal toxic waste dumping has resulted in parts of the water system being contaminated with dioxins and phenol which are apparently 17 million times the safe limit, and a low life expectancy of just 42 years for men and 47 for women.
5. La Oroya, Peru
La Oroya is the location of American-owned copper and lead smelters which has been in operation since 1922 and 1928 respectively. The sulphur dioxide pollution from the smelters has caused the landscape around the area to be covered in a burnt orange tinge, and people within the city to have a high level of lead in their blood, as well as bronchial complaints.
4. Vapi, India
Vapi is a city in Gujarat, India. The population of more than 121,000 people are having to combat the effects of toxic waste contamination in their water supplies, soil and in the air (as the image above shows) from many of the nearby industrial chemical plants.
3. Sukinda, India
Sukinda in Jaipur has an abundance of chromite (chromium ore), in fact 97% of India’s entire chromite resources are located here.
There are about 12 chromite mines that operate here and without proper environmental controls. Waste material from the mines get dumped in the area, and this waste often contains hexavalent chromium, a lethal carcinogen that affects up to 60% of the groundwater in the area.
2. Tianying, China
Over 50% of China’s lead production comes from Tianying, and due to outdated equipment and a lack of pollution controls, people are increasingly affected by lead poisoning here.
1. Linfen, China
Linfen in China is without a doubt the world’s most polluted city. Because of the country’s rapid industrialisation in the 1990s, there was a surge in the price of coal and so many new (mostly unregulated) coal mines were established.
Efforts have however been made to shut down substandard mines, inefficient factories that use coal and to switch the city’s heating infrastructure from coal to gas.
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