Blog 9 Ali Faraz Thursday,October 25,2012 Pollution as big a health problem as malaria or TB, finds report

                                       

Pollution as big a health problem as malaria or TB, finds report

October 25 4:15 am

Recently Stephen Leahy Of Global Development reported that every year pollution from toxic sites, lead smelters, and industrial dumps affect 125 million people every year. A lot of major industries like Gold mining and auto industries are the most toxic producing in world. In a recent health report it was discovered that this issue was bigger then tuberculosis (TB) problem. Some common industrial pollutants are lead, mercury, chromium are responsible for high death toll in many developing countries.  A lot of these pollutants require proper safe disposing methods, which are not available everywhere in the world. For example in Kenya Old car batteries, which contain lead, are not disposed safely which results in many miscarriages in women and Anemia. The lead production rose 10% from last year to meet the needs of battery and electronics manufactures. Rise in Demand equals more electronic waste and more dangerous pollutants.

       Core countries like United States have decent laws against major pollutants like these but many other developing countries in Middle East and Africa have over production and less protection for the workers. This is a problem because many of these workers spend 14-16 hrs in dangerous sites with less protection inhaling all the hazardous material in their system. Many of the infected sites in these countries must be abandoned and destroyed. As we become more advanced in technology world there are also many backfires and this is one of them. This is a big global problem because all over the world we are producing dangerous pollutants like Lead, Chromium, and Mercury, which is ok, but we have to come up with safe ways to dispose them keeping them away from the environment. Even in United States we have issues about these harmful substance and their effects on workers as well. This is a serious issue and should be dealt with strong planning. 

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/oct/24/pollution-health-problem-malaria-tb