Worse than malaria or TB but never discussed

Dr Gary Robertshaw

According to the Blacksmith Institute in partnership with Green Cross Switzerland, the health burden of pollution from industrial activities is as bad or worse than that of malaria or TB. Yet the problem goes largely ignored. Why? Because pollution is seen as the necessary price of economic growth. And economic growth is what keeps governments in office.

 

The new report claims that waste from mining, lead smelters, industrial dumps, mercury, radionuclides, pesticides and other toxins affects the health of an estimated 125 million people worldwide.

 

In one tragic example, doctors carrying out vaccinations in a Zamfaran village in Nigeria questioned the general absence of children attending their centre. They found the reason. Hundreds of children from the village had died from lead poisoning whilst thousands more were stricken with the effects of high levels of lead in their systems.

 

Demand for the latest technology and gadgets is soaring and such equipment often requires use of rare earth metals and this in turn requires more mining and resource extraction. Those working in or close to the mines are often exposed to toxic substances and suffer a range of health problems. Sadly, many of those affected are young children.

 

In addition to the problems associated with mining for rare metals, up to 10 million tonnes of obsolete but still dangerous pesticides have been dumped in tens of thousands of locations across the globe according to Green Cross. Such dumps pose a serious threat to ecosystems and human health.

 

This, of course, is the visible end of the spectrum. The true extent of industrial pollution is likely to be far greater than official estimates.

 

Governments of all ilks are keen to pursue economic growth because it raises living standards and increases prosperity. But what about the living standards of the 125 million poorest people whose health has been blighted and who remain largely ignored?

The environmental cost of technology

Computers, tablets, mobile devices and hybrid car batteries. They all contain rare earth metals. By extension, everyday life in the Western world relies on these rare earth metals. But why should this pose a concern for the environment? Well, there are substantial environmental costs associated with the use of rare earth metals. In the first place the metals have to be extracted by mining and then purified. Mining can be a dirty business creating topsoil loss and pollution of waterways, requiring road building infrastructures and causing degradation of natural environments. Often, miners have to work under dangerous conditions for minimal pay with scant regard to health and safety. Then there is the disposal of technological machines and gadgets. Today, people tend not to repair older electronic equipment. Instead they discard it and buy the newest model. How many people keep their current mobile phone more than a few years? Discarded electronics typically end up in landfill sites, where they create their own pollution problems as rare earth metals and toxins gradually seep out into surrounding soil. True, some electronics do go to recycling facilities. However, there are many unscrupulous operators in the third world where workers are paid a pittance and exposed to hazardous elements as they strip down these electronics for re-use. The whole process inevitably creates pollution and makes people sick. The solution? Repair or at least retain, rather than replace. Ethically sourced supplies should be made more readily available, and the industry should be subject to more intense oversight. Eco-friendly replacements for rare earth metals do exist but that would entail cost increases for consumers. A price worth paying? Companies that outsource or import labour to exploit people should be publicly shamed for what they do, whether that labour is in mines or recycling centres.

Plastic debris 'killing Adriatic loggerhead turtles'

One in three loggerhead turtles in the Adriatic Sea has plastic in its intestine, according to research in the Marine Pollution Bulletin. The Adriatic sea floor is one of the most polluted in Europe and the shallow waters of the Adriatic are important feeding grounds for the turtles.

Dangerously radioactive sites in UK revealed

New disclosures from the Ministry of Defence reveal that at least 15 sites across the UK have been contaminated with radiation from military equipment used in World War 2. The extent of the contamination is largely unknown yet the sites are still accessible by the public and are even being considered for the development of home and businesses [read more]

Plastic debris in the ocean

A study has measured the amount of plastic debris found in a region of the Atlantic Ocean over a 22-year period. US researchers, writing in Science, suggest the volume of plastic appeared to have peaked in recent years perhaps due to tighter marine pollution rules that prevent vessels dumping their waste at sea.

The team found plastic, most pieces measuring no more than a few millimetres, in more than 60% of 6,136 samples collected by dragging fine-meshed nets along the ocean's surface.

The researchers - from the US-based Sea Education Association (Sea), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the University of Hawaii - described plastic as a "major contaminant".

Whale mass strandings linked to hearing loss

In November 2010 "one of the biggest mass deaths of cetaceans in Irish history" occurred in which at least 33 whales beached themselves on the north-west coast of County Donegal. The whales' deaths coincide with recent research into cetacean strandings, which suggests that stranded whales and dolphins often suffer from hearing loss. There is an ongoing debate over whether undersea noise pollution is harming whales.

Otters back from the brink of extinction

Pesticide polluted rivers three decades ago almost wiped out England’s otter population. However, now that many of these pesticides have been banned the otter has made a remarkable comeback according to the Environment Agency. In fact, in many watercourses in the south-west and along the River Wye otter numbers are at maximum capacity.

Chernobyl plant life overcomes radiation

It seems that scientists have uncovered the mechanisms that allow plants to thrive in highly radioactive environments like Chernobyl. The study in the Environmental Science and Technology journal reveals that plants have an innate ability to cope with radioactivity.

The research goes on to speculate that this defence mechanism could date back millions of years, when early life forms were exposed to higher levels of natural radiation.

The explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in 1986 was the worst nuclear disaster in human history killing dozens of people whilst striking down many hundreds with radiation sickness. Although the plants are adapting some believe that there area will be uninhabitable for generations to come.

Plastic accounted for 63% of litter found on UK beaches

UK beaches are being ruined by an ever-accumulating tide of plastic litter, the Marine Conservation Society says. It said the amount of rubbish was 77% higher than in 1994 - its first annual survey - and the proportion of plastic volunteers found had never been higher. A spokeswoman said the figures showed plastic makes up an increasing proportion of beach litter - now nearly two-thirds of the total.

"Plastic does not biodegrade but breaks down into small pieces that will last for hundreds if not thousands of years. In parts of our oceans there are now six times more plastic particles in the water than plankton," she added.

Plastic accounted for 63% of litter found on UK beaches

UK beaches are being ruined by an ever-accumulating tide of plastic litter, the Marine Conservation Society says. It said the amount of rubbish was 77% higher than in 1994 - its first annual survey - and the proportion of plastic volunteers found had never been higher. A spokeswoman said the figures showed plastic makes up an increasing proportion of beach litter - now nearly two-thirds of the total.

"Plastic does not biodegrade but breaks down into small pieces that will last for hundreds if not thousands of years. In parts of our oceans there are now six times more plastic particles in the water than plankton," she added.

Domestic pollution

Domestic pollution can cause more environmental damage than industrial pollution, and non-environmentally friendly products are associated with a range of health problems and disruption of eco-systems. Eco friendly cleaning products are bio-degradable and don't contain phosphates, enzymes, bleach and other harmful chemicals found in conventional cleaning products. Safer for you and your family and kinder to the environment.

"We are rightly appalled by the genetic effects of radiation; how then, can we be indifferent to the same effect in chemicals we disseminate widely in our environment?" - Rachel Carson, author, Silent Spring