And surprisingly, not one of them is Michael Moore’s shitter.
From the BBC:
A list of the world’s most polluted places has been published by a US-based independent environmental group.
The Blacksmith Institute’s top 10 towns and cities included sites in ex-Soviet republics, Russia, China and India. Peru and Zambia were also listed.
The report said an estimated 12 million people were affected by the severe pollution, which was mainly caused by chemical, metal and mining industries.
Chronic illness and premature deaths were listed as possible side-effects.
The annual review, which debuted in 2006, is listed alphabetically, and the sites are unranked “given the wide range of location sizes, populations and pollution dynamics”.
Nowhere on the list, of course, is any US locale — despite our being reminded daily that our country’s failure to sign onto Kyoto is almost single-handedly responsibly for the melting both of the polar ice caps and Al Gore’s fever-softened brain.
In fact, no US city even cracks the top 50, a minor miracle for LA, given the CGI-infested garbage Hollywood emits — though I suppose all of the recycling they’ve been doing of old movies and TV shows has helped matters a bit.
Interestingly (and predictably) locations in China, India, and parts of the former Soviet Union are chief among the polluters — places that would be unaffected by Kyoto given their status as “developing nations”.
But then, Kyoto is more about wealth redistribution and transnational bureaucratic tyranny than it is about global climate change and environmental concerns — or else it would recognize that the US, the “world’s biggest polluter,” has nevertheless used market forces, technology, and wealth to curtail pollution, and that its distinction as the world’s largest overall polluter is counterbalanced by its unprecedented productivity, which, with the accumulation of wealth, has resulted in precisely the kinds of technological advances that lead to greater production efficiency, and so less unnecessary pollution.
In fact, it seems to me that an honest historical overview of US production and pollution would indicate that the US system might serve as a template for fast-growing industrialized countries.
But instead, central planners and transnationalist Greens would rather push an unworkable scheme that punishes the wealthy and the innovative, ignores the greatest polluters, and pretends to fix a problem that will only become exacerbated by the kinds of “solutions” offered through Kyoto — all while ignoring the kind of longterm solution to environmental concerns they claim to care most about, which comes about slowly with the accumulation of national wealth.
And that is because the cult of Gore, looking for the kind of redemption its members have eschewed in their rejection of traditional religions, insist that we accept its revealed prophesies as divine truths, and do so immediately (lest we face an environmental Armageddon) — effectively demanding that their materialism by adopted as the new metaphysical order before which all civilized society must genuflect and submit.
Or maybe that’s overstating things a bit. Could be they’re just petty tyrants and narcissists whose zeal for environmentalist absolutism is a projection of their personal desires to protect their own “precious bodily fluids.”
Which, you have to admit, hardly sounds quite so noble.
(via Kim du Toit; h/t N.O. Brain)
“Feed me, Mandrake, feed me!”
The cavemen only had to get that fire trick down ten times to kick this list off. We’ve been screwed ever since.
I laughed the entire time I read this. I wonder how algore and the econazis will spin this?
(One caveman talking to another.)
“Something’s just not rightâ€â€our air is clean, our water is pure, we all get plenty of exercise, everything we eat is organic and free-range, and yet nobody lives past thirty.â€Â
-New Yorker cartoon
Thanks, Jeff.
“I wonder how algore and the econazis will spin this?”
Duh. American Imperialism made them do it.
“…their personal desires to protect their own “precious bodily fluids.â€Â
Does this involve pure grain alcohol and spring water, along with nuclear weapons? I suppose they couldn’t sound any crazier than General Ripper…
As Vaclav Klaus once said, ecology is the whipped cream on top of a slice of cake. Those still trying to find regular meals don’t often have the means for cake. Let us work on making the world rich and free enough so that everyone who wants can have a hybrid, two free range chickens in every pot, fair trade coffee in every urn and Sierra Club memberships for all…
“This year, there has been more focus on pollution in the media, but there has been little action in terms of new funding or programmes. We all need to step up to the plate and get moving,” he said.
OK – some Third World, and developing countries are polluted crapholes. And this leads to people in the West being hit up for money and having their freedoms restricted that much more…?
MJ:
Here’s the best part of the third world pollution irony: the goron goons would like the thrid world to eschew industrial development and maintain their current agrarian state to help with the global warming problem. Beyond the obvious ethical considerations of delibrately keeping a third world country, well, third world there is no guarantee that throwing Kyoto money at them will help global warming or pullution in general, especially if they use the money to buy and/or breed those mega manufacturers of warming methane; livestock!
The Goronic message seems to be: “You, give up stuff! You hang on to your 19th century craphole poverty! We’ll redestribute some money whilst forking over carbon credits to companies we either founded or in which we have a significant ownership interest.”
AGW is bound top make the Ponzi scheme seem like a sidewalk three-card monte by the time it’s done swindling the hippy spawn rubes.
I keep holding out for a Ten Most Cancerous Places list. It’s time we got the recognition we deserve!
You can’t really blame the greenies too much. I mean it’s not like they get the frredom of speech or the ability to vote green in China.
This is one of the lingering after-effects of Communism (Russia and China) and Socialism (India). When the state holds a financial interst then financial interests reign supreme.
interst = interest
Yeah the Soviet Union was an environmental disaster, I remember reading an early 90’s National Geographic article on the pollution there left over from the corrupt regime. It was ghastly, there’s a lake near Moscow that has radioactive waste dumped into it, it’s completely poisonous and lethal. They had the place color coded by pollution and contaminate and it looked like a Jackson Pollock painting.
I’m not sure if it’s that so much as China is basically equivalent to the US in the 1960s, technology-wise, only with about six times as many people. No pollution controls, and they’re busy climbing the steep part of the industrialization curve. It’s going to get worse before it gets better, assuming it ever does.
I’ve been over there a couple of times; once in 1997 and once in 2002, and there were noticeably more cars in the latter visit, and correspondingly fewer bicycles. No pollution controls, too, I’m guessing. The air was visible both times, though.
Everyone knows Moore’s shitter is as mobile as his carbon assprint.
Which is huge. Everywhere he goes he uses food and fuel for 2.5 regular people.
I cannot imagine the size of toilet required for Michael Moore to drop a deuce. Is there a seat for each cheek? There is no fucking way he sticks to Sheryl Crow’s one square quota, unless he he is alright with skid marks the length of a football field.
But wait a minute. What about Cultural Pollution? We’re tops in that category, aren’t we?
#8 Major John: And that is it. Being wealthy enough allows pollution controls to be put in place. My dad grew up in Saginaw in the 1930’s-1940’s. Coal was the heating full for houses, the Saginaw River (downstream from Dow in Midland) was the drinking water.
And now? Because of pollution controls the Saginaw Bay is clean, whitefish have returned to the Detroit River, Lake Erie is alive again. The making of wealth, industrialisation, ruined those bodies of water; the wealth from industrialization made them clean again without removing the wealth. Heck, even the Rouge River is running clean again.
With wealth we can properly dispose of our pollutants. And if anyone doubts this, read any historical reports on the Thames River through London before the industrial revolution occurred. And what is the status of the Thames now?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/berkshire/6495303.stm
MikeC.: What you said is the obvious thing, so obvious it does not penetrate the skull of a socialist. When the payor, the provider, and the regulator are owned by the sae entity and are in the same department – what do you think you will get? Talk about military-industrial complex!
It’s typical of the Chicoms to go after the grand scheme (think Mao only with “capitalist” intent) Right now their plan is the biggest, baddest country on the planet, ideally absorbing everything in the region into the Borg.
The land and the “little” people be damned. Dessication of the countryside at re-routing of water sources to cities where so many of the people are jamming in. Pollution and dumps in rivers reminiscent of the worst days of the Soviets dumping nuclear stuff anywhere it could be dumped.
A few years back, 7 of the 10 most polluted cities in the world were in China.
China is a huge growing competitor for purchase of remaining oil resources, having something to do with a 200% increase in price/barrel in the last 4 years. Big deal with it’s buddy Khartoum (Sudan) big deals with Iran.
China builds a new coal fired plant about every week, it may sell you some “offsets” and use the money to build the next one (haha)
Chinese air wafts over into California where you can count the particulates.
Taiwan not being re-attached rankles daily.
“Could be they’re just petty tyrants and narcissists whose zeal for environmentalist absolutism is a projection of their personal desires to protect their own “precious bodily fluids.â€Â
In Algore’s case “environmentalism” is how he salves his ego and gets attention after, you know, having the Presidency “stolen” from him.
The film industry keeps rewarding him and so forth, even tho’ you can’t quite figure out his Bafflegab (ok, that’s not original) as he accepts the sundry accolades, he’s beaming !
He’s still riding around on private jets but he has sworn that he and Tipper are gonna upgrade the mansion in Tennessee, change the light bulbs and stuff.
Just as an aside – can anyone imagine what the lower Tiber, downstrean from Rome (say, at Ostia) must have been like in 200 A.D.?
Ew, Ick!
I’ll betcha the Tiber didn’t have a benzene spill in 200 A.D.
I know, I know, “accidents” can happen anywhere today, but the Chinese (IMO) are particularly careless of “the environment”.
(buenas noches)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4474284.stm
Kyoto regulates a few greenhouse gasses. Any idea whether these were the pollutants? If these are polluted sites — ie, distinct locations — then wouldn’t the problem be localized things other than greenhouse gasses, which mix into the atmosphere?
It’s the nytimes (mea culpa) all I could find in a hurry.
I have no doubt that they export a lot of pollution, and kyoto deals with some of that stuff. But I don’t think that what creates local polluted sites is the topic of kyoto. The BBC article talked about chemicals in rivers and heavy metals.
Andy, tanstaafl: The BBC article said salmon had not been present since the 1830’s in the Thames. I doubt it was benzene or heavy metals that caused that disappearance.
The wealth that industrialization created allows for the clean-up of not only industrial pollutants, but those from human existence, which were never addressed before other than to send it downstream and away.
“Andy, tanstaafl: The BBC article said salmon had not been present since the 1830’s in the Thames. I doubt it was benzene or heavy metals that caused that disappearance.”
I don’t think there were greenhouse gasses in the river.
“The wealth that industrialization created allows for the clean-up of not only industrial pollutants, but those from human existence, which were never addressed before other than to send it downstream and away.”
I think thats the idea behind allowing developing countries to proceed through the same polluting industrialization we did.
Even evidence that their religion may be flawed is viewed as merely proof of the left-eousness of their religion.
Damn you EPA! You’ve… you’ve… worked!
Unforgivable!
Any list of the most polluted places that does not include the comments sections of balloon-spooj, atrios, & manbearpig is not a credible list. Add Oliver Willis’ digesstive tract to the list, and then it may be complete.
Damn you EPA! You’ve… you’ve… worked!
“Worked” in the sense of “facilitated the move of industrial production to China, so that hippies don’t have to see the factories while driving around in their Priuses”, maybe.
“Worked” in the sense of “caused a net decline in the total amount of pollutants that enter the environment”, not so much.
“The BBC article said salmon had not been present since the 1830’s in the Thames.”
The Thames in the 19th century had all kinds of things dumped into it.
One of the ways cholera was spread was because because water companies took their water right from the same Thames that took the sewage dumps.
The river at one point was known as the “big stink”, emitting an odor that, in the words of Londoners of the time, could never be forgotten, once experienced.
I’m glad to read the 21st century Thames might again support salmon, but I don’t get what that had to do with an 80 km toxic benzene leak into a river. An “accident” that might well be ascribed to a Chinese attitude of carelessness as it forges ahead with willy nilly development.
I am from Ranipet India. i know abt it but what can we do? we have to be aware of this and follow the proverb”prevention is better than cure”
to help and save the earth for future generations
who cares… lets go yo ihop and have some pancakes
but seriously if we want to have cleaner air then we should lower the prices of htbrid cars for the lower class families and make more
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 PediatrÃÂa 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 dÃÂa y toneladas: bióxido de azufre 1000, plomo 2500, arsénico 2500, cadmio 80, material particulado 50 y asàsucesivamente, 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 dÃÂa (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 MinerÃÂa y Ciudades Empresas Pág. 57, 1992)
Doe Run envÃÂa cada 3 meses las concentraciones de los metales pesados al Ministerio de EnergÃÂa 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)
POLLUTION TO THE OROYA CITY PERÚ
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 and, the environment Graffiti 2008 said that is between five more pollute too to the world and the 2008 Blacksmith Institute and Green Cross Switzerland say that Oroya is between the most polluted of the world. This qualifications are benevolents; according to my researchs to many years who I am publishing, the Oroya city 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 ug/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 40, 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; overall 45,000 tons for day (PAMA . El Complejo Metalúrgico de la Oroya, 1996); other research say that by this chimney only eliminate overall 119¨917,440 tons too every day to a velocity to 8.7 meters by second ( Chuquimantari C. Yauli-La Oroya MinerÃÂa y Ciudades Empresas Pág. 57, 1992)
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 Association to the Environment say that the environmental quality to the Oroya it is serious 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)
Reply to the commentary of Mr Victor Belaunde about Contamination of La Oroya, Perú.
Dr. Godofredo Arauzo
Blacksmith Institute visited the Oroya city in May 2008. The observations about the achievements in the pollution by this metallurgic complex, according to statements of The Inter American Association for the Defense of the Environment (AIDA) by its name in Spanish.are DECEIVING, because such statements have no basis; is a summary presented by Doe Run. AIDA sustain that the environmental quality and the fulfillment or the degree of protection for human health of the Oroya city can not be evaluated based on the quantity of investment made by the company but it should be done based on the current data about the quality of air, lead level in the blood and another environmental and health indicators, that the report does not take into account (1).
Critic that Blacksmith is based on limited datum in order to evaluate, for example, the sulphur bioxide (SO2) level in the zone. Blacksmith Institute affirms that the SO2 concentration in the Oroya city has a day time average of 5.000 ug/m3 (maximum allowed is 13 ug/m3) (CDC); but during the day that Blacksmith was in the Oroya, the SO2 concentration was 0.(1)
Finally AIDA concludes that the Blacksmith report undermines the efforts to really reach the remediation and cleaning of Oroya city (1)
AIDA express too that the quality of air in the Oroya has deteriorated seriously after the metallurgic complex came into Doe Run’s hands. Doe Run itself said that the lead concentration raised to 1.163%, the arsenic to 606% and the cadmium to 1990% (2). The concentrations of lead, cadmium, arsenic, sulphur dioxide and others have substantially increased since 1997, mainly due to the increasing of production; for example, the lead production raised 25% (2). The inhabitants of Oroya city are contaminated by a toxic cocktail (4); it is a living laboratory.
The cadmium concentration (Cd) raised dramatically since the acquisition of the complex by Doe Run. In 1999 the Cd concentration was 0.22 ug/m3 in the Syndicate (the level allowed was 0.0055 ug/m3); it surpassed by more than 40 times the frontier and did not inform anymore to the Ministry for Mines and Energy (MEM) since year 2000; in the same way, the arsenic concentration soared meaningly since 1997. There is not monitoring of particulate material smaller than 2.5 micra (PM 2.5), that are the most dangerous to human health and move easily. Ceverstav says that the parameters of air quality have been deteriorated dramatically after Doe Run have in charge of the complex (5)
The Environment Protection Agency of USA (EPA), has 1467 chemical compounds registered as the most harmful and the sulphur dioxide (SO2) is ranking number 16 in dangerousness (6). Cevestav showed based on the same figures that Doe Run sends to MEM every 3 months, that SO2 emission had incremented in more than 200% since Doe Run has in charge the complex (5).
Blacksmith affirms that the SO2 concentration in the Oroya is in average 5,000 ug/m3 (1); another author reports that this average is 934 ug/m3 (2); the level allowed is 13 ug/m3 (7). The day time concentration is higher between 8 am and 5 pm and it reaches a peak of 2,100 ppb (the allowed value is 280 ppb) (5). In August 13. 2008 the SO2 concentration arrived to an historic and horrifying limit: 27,000 ug/m3 (8-9-10) (the allowed figure is 13 ug/m3 (7).
Another heavy metals and highly toxic compounds are not analysed in the Oroya: vanadium, uranium, mercury, antimony, barium, selenium, chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, nickel, and aluminum (2). The inhabitants of the Oroya are contaminated, not only with lead but too with cadmium, arsenic, sulphur dioxide, and antimony, as well; the antimony concentration is 30 times higher than in USA (11): .
There has not been any decrease in the air concentration of lead in the last 5 years in the Oroya; in Huanchan such concentration is above 15 times the level permitted; in the months of January and February 2007 it was an excess of 245% above the allowed level in Huanchan station; in 2006 the cadmium concentration exceeded 48 times the levels allowed by the WHO (12): lead production increased by 25% (2).
Doe Run monitors only specific sources; it does not monitor the toxic agents that are emitted through the 95 small chimneys neither it monitors to the deposits of concentrateds and deposits to arsenic of Vados and Malpaso, as it does not monitor either the elimination coming from the industrial incinerator and the cock plant that was emitting 23,800 meters cubits per day of toxic gases (PAMA).
Doe Run explained that the pollution of the Oroya had diminished; one attendant person spitted that the pollution has increased; the lecturer answered: show me a document about your statement and the person replied: the best document who I count of is my contaminated body’ (4).
The SO2 emissions from the cooper Peruvian smelting are among the production sources of the highest sulphur dioxide concentration in the world and they are also among the most contaminated production sources in the world (13).
There is not concrete information about the quality control systems to the sampling and to the analysis of the monitoring procedure used by the company; we are not certain about the accuracy, confidentiality and suitable of the information reported to MEM; the figures reported to MEM could be considered as an approximation and are under valuated and they are not in electronic neither in graphic form (5).
The contamination generated in La Oroya is not only limited to this city, but it also pollutes distant areas like Concepcion, 100 km far away of Oroya: University of Missouri found lead in the blood of children with ages 0 to 6 years: 20 to 44 ug/dl in the 72.22% ; 10 to 19 ug/dl in the 16.67%; 45 to 69 ug/dl in the 8.33% and less than 10 ug/dl in the 2.78%; it means that the 97.22% of the children of the city of Conception are contaminated with more than 10 ug/dl of lead in their blood; the amount permitted was 10 ug/dl; but, at present the Academy of Paediatrics of USA says that the maximum allowed is 0 ug/dl of lead in the blood (14). In the rural zone near the Oroya, Cuchimachay there is an amount of 59.26 ppm (the allowed level being 3 ppm) of cadmium in the soil; there is no vegetal cap in this place (15).
The metallurgic complex of Oroya has 37 liquid flows that go to the Mantaro river; Doe Run monitors only 12. The rules of the Peruvian state about monitoring of the quality of water in the mining works state that all the liquid discharges that go to surface waters must be constantly monitored (5-16).
The 2006, 26 July Doe Run obtained the ISO 14001:2004 certificate (17) and the 2008, 11 March was removed because the company did not fulfull the Peruvian environmental laws, and did not have appropriate measures for preventing the pollution (18).
Doe Run the 2007 commited 4 heavy and 1 simple violence environment that the Peruvian state had to put to Doe Run a fine to $ 724,500 (The Comercio 08. 20-12)
In Huancayo, 120 km far away from La Oroya there is jurisprudence. In 1942 the Judiciary Power orders to the Cerro de Pasco Copper Corporation, owner of Oroya at that time, to pay a compensation of $ 200,000 to Bazo Velarde, because of the harms caused to the Jatunhuasi Livestock, by the smokes of the Oroya (19).
The Judiciary Power (20), the Constitutional Court (21) and the Inter American Commission for Human Rights (CIDH, for its name in Spanish) (22), demanded that the Peruvian state to be aware about the health of the inhabitants of Oroya..
Oroya pollutes the surface and deep waters, the soil, the air, and generates acid rain (23), factors that cause damages to human and animal health, the ecosystems and biodiversity, in a way greatly irreversible. The smokes of the Oroya have affected 700,000 hectares around the Oroya (2-24).
Doe Run will reduce its contamination in two circumstances: when it uses up to date technology as put in practice in Herculeanum, or when it reduces the refining tons. The Trial plant, in Canada, decreased in 25% the lead concentration in the children blood, and reduced the concentration of heavy metals in the air in more than 75%, by the use of clean technology; in the Paso when the foundry was closed, the lead concentration in the air decreased immediately and the lead concentration in the children’s blood plummeted by more than 75%; in Torreón Mexico, the government ordered to refine only a 50%, and similar effects were obtained (5). The damages must be paid by Doe Run according to the world consensus THE THAT POLLUTE PAY, set in practice in Europe since 1972 (25); the way as it does in Herculaneum can reply these actions in Oroya city (2-27).
.The 2008 August 13 Oroya city has been confirmed as the most polluted city to the world. This day the SO2 concentration in air in the Oroya reached an historical and horrifying level: as journal The Comercio said (8); it arrive 27,000 ug/m3; while the allowed level was 13 ug/m3 (7) and the device that measured the concentration got to its maximum limit probably if the device had had more space in its scale that figure would have been higher (8-9-10), but when Blacksmith was visiting the Oroya the SO2 concentration in air was 0 (zero) (1). Some other figures confirm that Oroya is the most polluted city on the earth: according the report Mantaro Revive 2007: in the Ancienty Oroya has a soil concentration of 4713 ppm of arsenic (As) while the allowed amount is 12 ppm, and the cadmium (Cd) has 193.87 ppm while the permitted amount is 14 ppm, according to the Canadian Environmental Quality Guidelines (28).
>> The Environment Protection Agency of USA (EPA), has 1467 chemical compounds registered as the most harmful and the sulphur dioxide (SO2) is ranking number 16 in dangerousness (6).
From where is that data taken from? was it certified and published?
CONFIRMED. The Oroya PERÚ the city most polluted of the world.
Dr. Godofredo Arauzo
Blacksmith Institute visited the Oroya city in May 2008. The observations about the achievements in the pollution by this metallurgic complex, according to statements of The Inter American Association for the Defense of the Environment (AIDA) by its name in Spanish.are DECEIVING, because such statements have no basis; is a summary presented by Doe Run. AIDA sustain that the environmental quality and the fulfillment or the degree of protection for human health of the Oroya city can not be evaluated based on the quantity of investment made by the company but it should be done based on the current data about the quality of air, lead level in the blood and another environmental and health indicators, that the report does not take into account (1).
Critic that Blacksmith is based on limited datum in order to evaluate, for example, the sulphur bioxide (SO2) level in the zone. Blacksmith Institute affirms that the SO2 concentration in the Oroya city has a day time average of 5.000 ug/m3 (maximum allowed is 13 ug/m3) (CDC); but during the day that Blacksmith was in the Oroya, the SO2 concentration was 0.(1)
Finally AIDA concludes that the Blacksmith report undermines the efforts to really reach the remediation and cleaning of Oroya city (1)
AIDA express too that the quality of air in the Oroya has deteriorated seriously after the metallurgic complex came into Doe Run’s hands. Doe Run itself said that the lead concentration raised to 1.163%, the arsenic to 606% and the cadmium to 1990% (2). The concentrations of lead, cadmium, arsenic, sulphur dioxide and others have substantially increased since 1997, mainly due to the increasing of production; for example, the lead production raised 25% (3). The inhabitants of Oroya city are contaminated by a toxic cocktail (4); it is a living laboratory.
The cadmium concentration (Cd) raised dramatically since the acquisition of the complex by Doe Run. In 1999 the Cd concentration was 0.22 ug/m3 in the Syndicate (the level allowed was 0.0055 ug/m3); it surpassed by more than 40 times the frontier and did not inform anymore to the Ministry for Mines and Energy (MEM) since year 2000; in the same way, the arsenic concentration soared meaningly since 1997. There is not monitoring of particulate material smaller than 2.5 micra (PM 2.5), that are the most dangerous to human health and move easily. Ceverstav says that the parameters of air quality have been deteriorated dramatically after Doe Run have in charge of the complex (5)
The Environment Protection Agency of USA (EPA), has 1467 chemical compounds registered as the most harmful and the sulphur dioxide (SO2) is ranking number 16 in dangerousness (6). Cevestav showed based on the same figures that Doe Run sends to MEM every 3 months, that SO2 emission had incremented in more than 200% since Doe Run has in charge the complex (5).
Blacksmith affirms that the SO2 concentration in the Oroya is in average 5,000 ug/m3 (1); another author reports that this average is 934 ug/m3 (2); the level allowed is 13 ug/m3 (7). The day time concentration is higher between 8 am and 5 pm and it reaches a peak of 2,100 ppb (the allowed value is 280 ppb) (5). In August 13. 2008 the SO2 concentration arrived to an historic and horrifying limit: 27,000 ug/m3 (8-9-10) (the allowed figure is 13 ug/m3 (7).
Another heavy metals and highly toxic compounds are not analysed in the Oroya: vanadium, uranium, mercury, antimony, barium, selenium, chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, nickel, and aluminum (2). The inhabitants of the Oroya are contaminated, not only with lead but too with cadmium, arsenic, sulphur dioxide, and antimony, as well; the antimony concentration is 30 times higher than in USA (11): .
There has not been any decrease in the air concentration of lead in the last 5 years in the Oroya; in Huanchan such concentration is above 15 times the level permitted; in the months of January and February 2007 it was an excess of 245% above the allowed level in Huanchan station; in 2006 the cadmium concentration exceeded 48 times the levels allowed by the WHO (12): lead production increased by 25% (2).
Doe Run monitors only specific sources; it does not monitor the toxic agents that are emitted through the 95 small chimneys neither it monitors to the deposits of concentrateds and deposits to arsenic of Vados and Malpaso, as it does not monitor either the elimination coming from the industrial incinerator and the cock plant that was emitting 23,800 meters cubits per day of toxic gases (PAMA).
Doe Run explained that the pollution of the Oroya had diminished; one attendant person spitted that the pollution has increased; the lecturer answered: show me a document about your statement and the person replied: the best document who I count of is my contaminated body’ (4).
The SO2 emissions from the cooper Peruvian smelting are among the production sources of the highest sulphur dioxide concentration in the world and they are also among the most contaminated production sources in the world (13).
There is not concrete information about the quality control systems to the sampling and to the analysis of the monitoring procedure used by the company; we are not certain about the accuracy, confidentiality and suitable of the information reported to MEM; the figures reported to MEM could be considered as an approximation and are under valuated and they are not in electronic neither in graphic form (5).
The contamination generated in La Oroya is not only limited to this city, but it also pollutes distant areas like Concepcion, 100 km far away of Oroya: University of Missouri found lead in the blood of children with ages 0 to 6 years: 20 to 44 ug/dl in the 72.22% ; 10 to 19 ug/dl in the 16.67%; 45 to 69 ug/dl in the 8.33% and less than 10 ug/dl in the 2.78%; it means that the 97.22% of the children of the city of Conception are contaminated with more than 10 ug/dl of lead in their blood; the amount permitted was 10 ug/dl; but, at present the Academy of Paediatrics of USA says that the maximum allowed is 0 ug/dl of lead in the blood (14). In the rural zone near the Oroya, Cuchimachay there is an amount of 59.26 ppm (the allowed level being 3 ppm) of cadmium in the soil; there is no vegetal cap in this place (15).
The metallurgic complex of Oroya has 37 liquid flows that go to the Mantaro river; Doe Run monitors only 12. The rules of the Peruvian state about monitoring of the quality of water in the mining works state that all the liquid discharges that go to surface waters must be constantly monitored (5-16).
The 2006, 26 July Doe Run obtained the ISO 14001:2004 certificate (17) and the 2008, 11 March was removed because the company did not fulfull the Peruvian environmental laws, and did not have appropriate measures for preventing the pollution (18).
Doe Run the 2007 commited 4 heavy and 1 simple violence environment that the Peruvian state had to put to Doe Run a fine to $ 724,500 (The Comercio 08. 20-12)
In Huancayo, 120 km far away from La Oroya there is jurisprudence. In 1942 the Judiciary Power orders to the Cerro de Pasco Copper Corporation, owner of Oroya at that time, to pay a compensation of $ 200,000 to Bazo Velarde, because of the harms caused to the Jatunhuasi Livestock, by the smokes of the Oroya (19).
The Judiciary Power (20), the Constitutional Court (21) and the Inter American Commission for Human Rights (CIDH, for its name in Spanish) (22), demanded that the Peruvian state to be aware about the health of the inhabitants of Oroya..
Oroya pollutes the surface and deep waters, the soil, the air, and generates acid rain (23), factors that cause damages to human and animal health, the ecosystems and biodiversity, in a way greatly irreversible. The smokes of the Oroya have affected 700,000 hectares around the Oroya (2-24).
Doe Run will reduce its contamination in two circumstances: when it uses up to date technology as put in practice in Herculeanum, or when it reduces the refining tons. The Trial plant, in Canada, decreased in 25% the lead concentration in the children blood, and reduced the concentration of heavy metals in the air in more than 75%, by the use of clean technology; in the Paso when the foundry was closed, the lead concentration in the air decreased immediately and the lead concentration in the children’s blood plummeted by more than 75%; in Torreón Mexico, the government ordered to refine only a 50%, and similar effects were obtained (5). The damages must be paid by Doe Run according to the world consensus THE THAT POLLUTE PAY, set in practice in Europe since 1972 (25); the way as it does in Herculaneum can reply these actions in Oroya city (2-27).
.The 2008 August 13 Oroya city has been confirmed as the most polluted city to the world. This day the SO2 concentration in air in the Oroya reached an historical and horrifying level: as journal The Comercio said (8); it arrive 27,000 ug/m3; while the allowed level was 13 ug/m3 (7) and the device that measured the concentration got to its maximum limit probably if the device had had more space in its scale that figure would have been higher (8-9-10), but when Blacksmith was visiting the Oroya the SO2 concentration in air was 0 (zero) (1). Some other figures confirm that Oroya is the most polluted city on the earth: according the report Mantaro Revive 2007: in the Ancienty Oroya has a soil concentration of 4713 ppm of arsenic (As) while the allowed amount is 12 ppm, and the cadmium (Cd) has 193.87 ppm while the permitted amount is 14 ppm, according to the Canadian Environmental Quality Guidelines (28).
Oh, serious cleanup on aisle 3!