The List Environment

World’s worst polluted

DIRTY WATER  The Citarum River in Indonesia provides most of Jakarta’s water supply and is contaminated with heavy metals and pesticides. Population Affected: 500,000+  

© DADANG TRI/X01279/Reuters/Corbis

By Science News Staff

A new report lists places around the world that pose the greatest pollution risk to human health. Green Cross Switzerland and the Blacksmith Institute screened more than 3,000 contaminated sites and rated health threats. The top 10 polluted places are listed below in alphabetical order and pictured in a slideshow:

1.    Agbobloshie (Ghana)

2.    Chernobyl (Ukraine)

3.    Citarum River (Indonesia)

4.    Dzershinsk (Russia)

5.    Hazaribagh (Bangladesh)

6.     Kabwe (Zambia)

7.     Kalimantan (Indonesia)

8.     Matanza Riachuelo (Argentina)

9.     Niger River Delta (Nigeria)

10.   Norilsk (Russia)

Agbobloshie (Ghana) This suburb of Ghana’s capital, Accra, is a major destination of electronic waste, much of it from western Europe. Population Affected: 40,000+ Marlenenapoli/Wikimedia Commons
Chernobyl (Ukraine) Radioactive dust remains around the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear reactor meltdown. More than a dozen radionuclides, including cesium-137, remain above recommended levels in soil around the former nuclear plant. Population Affected: Up to 10 million maol/flickr
Citarum River (Indonesia) The Citarum River in Indonesia provides most of Jakarta’s water supply and is contaminated with heavy metals and pesticides. Population Affected: 500,000+ © DADANG TRI/X01279/REUTERS/CORBIS
Dzershinsk (Russia) Dzershinsk was one of the Soviet Union’s main sites for chemical manufacture, including chemical weapons, and remains a major center of Russia’s chemical industry. An estimated 300,000 tons of chemical waste were landfilled in the area. Population Affected: 300,000 Blacksmi th Institute
Hazaribagh (Bangladesh) Most of Bangladesh’s tanneries are in Hazaribagh, which releases large amounts of chromium used in the tanneries to the Buriganga River. The river supplies water to the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka. Population Affected: 160,000+ Micha el Reeve/Wikim edia Comm ons
<b.Kabwe (Zambia)</b> Contamination from lead mining has led to high levels of lead in area children. The mine is now closed and cleanup efforts are underway, but small-scale mining continues in the area. <b>Population Affected: 300,000+</b> Les Amis de la Terre France/Flickr
Kalimantan (Indonesia) Small-scale gold mining rigs (shown) are common in Kalimantan. Miners often burn mercury during gold extraction. The United Nations has estimated that this process is responsible for 30 percent of global mercury emissions. Population Affected: 225,000+ © YUSUF AHMAD/Reuters/Corbis
Matanza-Riachuelo (Argentina) Chemical manufacturing along the Matanza- Riachuelo River Basin has released heavy metals and organic chemicals into the river, which passes through Buenos Aires. Population Affected: 20,000+ YaninaBudkin/WorldBank
Niger River Delta (Nigeria) This densely populated area has been a major petroleum producer since the 1950s and is contaminated with oil and other hydrocarbons. Population Affected: unknown Terry Whalebone
Norilsk (Russia) Mining and smelting operations since the 1930s have released nickel oxide, copper and sulfur dioxide into the environment. Population Affected: 135,000 Blacksmith Institute

A version of this article appears in the November 30, 2013 issue of Science News.

More Stories from Science News on Environment

  1. Oceans

    The world’s largest coral was discovered in the South Pacific

    By Nikk Ogasa
  2. Health & Medicine

    22 pesticides show links to prostate cancer

    By Andrea Tamayo
  3. Environment

    Fire-prone neighborhoods on the fringes of nature are rapidly expanding

    By Nikk Ogasa
  4. Animals

    This marine biologist discovered a unique blue whale population in Sri Lanka

    By Sandy Ong
  5. Environment

    An idea to save Mexico’s oyamel forests could help monarch butterflies too

    By Sophie Hartley
  6. Science & Society

    There’s a new term for attempting to own the wind: ventography

    By Sujata Gupta
  7. Earth

    What leads rivers to suddenly change course?

    By Nikk Ogasa
  8. Oceans

    A transatlantic flight may turn Saharan dust into a key ocean nutrient

    By Douglas Fox