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10 dirtiest cities on earth

Cancer, lung infections, and shortened life expectancy are among the threats facing people who live in the world's 10 most polluted cities, says a report released Wednesday by the Blacksmith Institute, an international environmental research group.

"Living in a town with serious pollution is like living under a death sentence. If the damage does not come from immediate poisonings, then cancers, lung infections, mental retardation, are likely outcomes," the report said.

It was compiled over seven years by a team of environmental and health experts, the Associated Press reported.

The 10 most polluted cities are: Dzherzhinsk, Norilsk and Rudnaya Pristan in Russia; Linfen, China; Haina, Dominican Republic; Ranipet, India; Mayluu-Suu, Kyrgyzstan; La Oroya, Peru; Chernobyl, Ukraine; and Kabwe, Zambia.

The report said most of the pollution in these cities comes from unregulated coal and lead mines or unrefined nuclear weapons manufacturing plants, the AP reported.

In some cases, solutions could be as simple as removing contaminated soil and reducing dust levels, said David Hanrahan, chief of global operations at the Blacksmith Institute. – (HealthDayNews)

Read more:
Enviro health Centre
Air pollution can kill

October 2006

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