Top 10 most polluting industries in the world
The Blacksmith Institute has recently conducted a thorough investigation into the toxicity of different industries worldwide. They have studied industries in 49 countries and the impact these industries have on the health and well-being of the citizens.
The report shows that the pollution cause by certain industries is as dangerous as a life-threatening disease, such as malaria or tuberculosis. Some industries use raw materials and extremely harmful pollutants and modified products that seriously harm health and the environment.
To measure the exact impact, the Blacksmith Institute has developed an indicator that calculates the number of years that is lost due to premature death and loss of quality of life resulting from disease. This index is called the DALY (acronym for Disability Adjusted Life Years).
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The calculation of the DALY index takes into account various industrial pollutants that impact on the health of exposed populations. For example in lead industry, the risk of exposure to toxic landfills accounts for 17 million DALYs: in contrasts DALYs imposed by the deadly disease Malaria are 14 million.
Having analyzed and studied thousands of industrial sites across 49 countries, the Blacksmith Institute has been able to come up with a ranking of the most polluting industries. These results were comparable to data generated by the WHO (World Health Organization) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
The infamous list of the most polluting industries in the world:
- Recycling of lead batteries
- Lead Industry
- Mines
- Tanneries
- Industrial discharges and / or municipal
- Industrial sites
- Artisanal gold mining
- Manufactures
- Petrochemistry
- Drycleaners
Most of these highly toxic industries are relocating to developing countries and they produce consumer goods for industrialized countries. Indeed, local people do not know how to protect themselves from the dangers of the industry and do not always have the means.
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The conclusion of this report proposes a solution that seems simple and achievable: reducing the consumption of these corrosive goods in industrialized countries can reduce industrial pollution. This would benefit all!
