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Pollution as big a health problem as malaria or TB, finds report
October 25, 2012
Pollution as big a health problem as malaria or TB, finds report
A new report has found that waste from mining, lead smelters, industrial dumps and other toxic sites affects the health of an estimated 125 million people in 49 low- and middle-income countries. This unrecognized health burden is on the same scale of malaria or tuberculosis (TB).
This year’s World’s Worst Pollution Problems report was published by the Blacksmith Institute in partnership with Green Cross Switzerland documenting the public health impact of industrial pollutants ? lead, mercury, chromium, radionuclides and pesticides in the air, water and soil of developing countries.
The health impact of exposure to these toxins at the 2,600 sites identified in the report was estimated using the disability adjusted life years (DALYs) metric which the World Health Organization (WHO) and other bodies use to measure overall disease burden. The metric is expressed as the number of years lost due to ill-health, disability or early death, with one DALY equivalent to one lost year in healthy life. The estimate for the impact of the pollution from toxic sites is 17m DALYs which is greater than malaria’s annual toll of 14m DALYs, according to WHO.
Read more at Guardian Environment Network.
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