The rating of the dirtiest cities in Russia is compiled annually by the federal ministry and leading environmental organizations. This is considered very important, because environmental pollution issues have recently played a big role. But not everyone knows that they have to live in dirty cities, usually due to large industrial plants that poison the air.
How are these rankings made?
In order to compile a list of dirty cities in Russia, a thorough analysis of the level of emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere is being compiled at the Federal Ministry of Nature. According to the latest data, almost 16.5 million Russians now have to breathe polluted air. Such data are given in the report "On Environmental Protection".
The latest surveys of the dirtiest cities in Russia show that the total amount of emissions into the atmosphere amounted to 31.5 million tons, which is more than a percentage increase from a year earlier. Among the leading regions in terms of pollution level, Khabarovsk Krai, Buryatia, Taimyr Autonomous Okrug stand out. These regions are characterized by high levels of air pollution, which affects up to 75% of the inhabitants of large cities.
Among the leaders of this sad rating of dirty cities in Russia is the Moscow region, which is experiencing a strong environmental burden from a large number of vehicles. In the Moscow Region alone, emissions account for almost half of the level of all motor vehicle emissions in the Central Federal District and one eighth of the national value.
Rating leaders
The list of the dirtiest cities in Russia in 2017 is headed by Rudnaya Pristan. This is a settlement located in the Primorsky Territory. It is believed that about 90 thousand people are potentially infected in this city. The reason for this lies in the high emission of harmful substances into the atmosphere, primarily lead, mercury and cadmium.
Due to the increased level of pollution, local residents do not receive clean water, they cannot grow fruits and vegetables so that they can be safely eaten, they grow dangerous to health, as they contain a large amount of heavy metals.
All this is exacerbated by high levels of pollution. Harmful chemical elements are present in almost all resources that local residents are forced to use to fulfill their basic needs - these are soil, fauna, and water.
In second place in the list of dirty cities in Russia is Norilsk. This is a large industrial center, in which there is an exorbitant number of plants and factories, mainly they are engaged in the smelting of heavy metals. Because of their activity, a huge amount of harmful substances is in the air - these are strontium, copper, nickel.
In addition, it is very cold here, Norilsk is located in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. But even in winter, residents have to walk on snow, which is more like mud, and breathe air that has an obvious taste and smell of sulfur.
But even this is not the worst. This city has a very high mortality rate, and life expectancy is significantly lower than the national average.
There are no tourists here, because even a short stay in Norilsk can lead to negative health consequences. It is here that the most sulfate-contaminated precipitation is recorded.
On the third line of the list of dirty cities in Russia is Dzerzhinsk, located in the Nizhny Novgorod region. Once it was a key center in the country for the manufacture of chemical weapons. But after tons of chemical waste were illegally written off and thrown into the waters, the situation changed dramatically.
But even here the difficult ecological situation remains. Indigenous people almost never manage to live to old age. There is a really frightening average life expectancy here: among men it is 42 years, and for women a little more - 47 years. But the death rate in the city exceeds the birth rate by more than two and a half times. In the future, the situation does not look rosy, remaining the same depressing.
Winter
In fourth place in the list of the dirtiest cities in Russia is a settlement with the amazing name Zima in the Irkutsk region. The degree of air pollution here is very high. The complex air pollution index is one of the highest in the country.
The basis of the city's economy is formed by the enterprises of the railway transport and the chemical industry, because of them such a high level of pollution persists. In Zima there is a wagon and locomotive depot, track distances and communications. But the greatest damage is caused by the Ziminsky chemical plant, which today is called the Sayanskkhimplast open joint-stock company, and private sawmilling and woodworking enterprises operating on the basis of former LDK and reinforced concrete plants also cause environmental damage.
Bratsk
A high level of pollution is also observed in the city of Bratsk, Irkutsk Region. This is the fifth place in the rating of dirty cities in Russia. The ecology here is damaged, mainly due to the high content of benzapyrene in the atmosphere. This is an extremely harmful chemical compound that is formed during the combustion of absolutely any type of fossil fuel. It is in Bratsk that the highest level of this substance is recorded.
The culprits of the high levels of pollution in this city are large industrial enterprises. These are a ferroalloy plant, an aluminum plant, a timber industry complex, the Irkutskenergo thermal power plant, and flattering fires that last from two weeks to several months, engulfing spring and summer, make their contribution.
According to local environmental organizations, the exorbitant content of formaldehyde, hydrogen sulfide, and hydrogen fluoride in the atmosphere is recorded here. A big, but so far only potential danger is the chlorine plant. Energy, non-ferrous metallurgy, timber processing complexes and vehicles also heavily pollute the atmosphere.
An unfavorable ecological situation is also created due to the unfavorable wind rose, in which the southern, western and southwestern winds play a dominant role. Namely, in these directions from Bratsk itself, the majority of hazardous industries are located.
It should be noted that earlier the situation with the wind rose was different. Before the filling of the Bratsk reservoir, they were directed in exactly the opposite direction, and therefore they chose a site for the construction of residential areas, which would be outside the zone of potential pollution. But now everything has changed.
To counter pollution in Bratsk, a large-scale environmental program is being developed. The largest and most harmful enterprises in the city spend several billion rubles on environmental protection enterprises. In parallel, research work is being carried out. Scientists are trying to establish the share of vehicle emissions in total pollution. The environmental prosecutor's office is doing a lot of work.
Minusinsk and Magnitogorsk
In the first city, environmentalists and employees of the Ministry of Natural Resources noted a high concentration of benzapyrene, as well as suspended solids and nitrogen dioxide. A similar situation persists throughout the Krasnoyarsk Territory, where the volume of pollutants in the air per year exceeds two and a half million tons.
In Magnitogorsk, the level of such a dangerous benzapyrene is 23 times higher than the norm. Perhaps the greatest contribution to air pollution is made by the metallurgical plant. The enterprise emits into the air a huge amount of iron oxide, nitrogen dioxide, suspended solids, formaldehyde, lead, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide and phenol.
Novokuznetsk
Novokuznetsk, which is located in Kemerovo region. This is one of the largest industrial centers of the country, in which up to 310 thousand tons of harmful substances are in the air per year.
Almost all emissions come from metallurgical enterprises, which are plentiful here, as in Magnitogorsk. Basically, the atmosphere is polluted by coal mines, a metallurgical plant.
Asbestos
Asbest is a very small city by Russian standards. It is located on the territory of the Sverdlovsk region, only 68 thousand people live there. At the same time, up to 330,000 tons of substances hazardous to human life and health are in the air every year. It is easy to guess that the city owes its name to the largest enterprises that extract and process asbestos. There is also a large-scale and harmful production of silicate bricks.
Especially dangerous is asbestos dust, which is classified as the first class of environmental hazard.
Cherepovets
"City of metallurgists" - so called Cherepovets in the Vologda region. This is the center of the Russian ferrous metallurgy, in which more than 360 thousand tons of harmful and hazardous substances are released into the atmosphere every year.
It is here that the second largest, and hence the level of pollution, metallurgical plant in the country is located, which is owned by the Severstal company. There are also such dangerous enterprises as Ammophos and Azot.
Moscow
In the Russian capital, although there are no large industrial enterprises, it still constantly falls into the number of the most unfavorable cities in terms of ecology.
93% of the harmful substances that are released into the air here come from cars, the amount of which is simply huge here. Worst of all, the amount of emissions into the atmosphere is increasing every day.
Omsk
Omsk is the largest city after Moscow, which invariably falls into the category of cities with unfavorable environmental conditions.
This is a large industrial center, which began to develop shortly after the end of the Great Patriotic War. It was here that many large industrial enterprises were evacuated from the European part of the country, where the war was fought. The level of hazardous substances that end up in the air every year is more than 290,000 tons.
Basically, chemical enterprises operate here, as well as companies associated with the aerospace industry and metallurgy.
What distinguishes a "dirty" city from a "clean" city? No, we are not talking about the work of public utilities and the ability of janitors to wave a broom - this time let's talk about ecology. It is no secret that many of the inhabitants of cities, especially large ones and those where large industrial enterprises are located nearby, complain about the environment. And these complaints are not fictitious - according to statistics, up to 140 thousand people die every year from diseases associated with "bad ecology" Russian Federation- about 5% of the total number of deaths.
This year, the Ministry of Natural Resources decided to show the cards - list of the dirtiest cities in Russia 2018, the ecology of which can be hazardous to health.
For many years now, Chita has been among the most polluted cities in Russia (the list, in addition to Chita, includes nine more sufferers). Paradoxically for such a small city (the population of Chita does not even reach 350 thousand people), one of the reasons is the number of cars per capita. It is ahead of the Chita people in love for iron friends - no, not even Moscow and not St. Petersburg, but Vladivostok. The city is located in a hollow, fenced with hills, built up crowded and high-rise buildings - as a result, there is almost no air circulation and, although strong winds often blow there, in winter Chita is covered with a dense cap of smog.
Adds "flavors" to the infernal mixture is also the ancient heating system of the city - the thermal power plant, both the first and the second, as well as the boiler houses of the city, use coal and fuel oil as fuel. As the people of Chita say, one has only to drive a few kilometers away from the city - and one can see how a dirty brown fog hangs over the city, and only black smoke from the state district power station cuts through it. True, they say that boiler houses are being converted to more modern types of fuel, but the results are not yet visible - Chita is still one of the most "dirty" cities in Russia.
The rating of the dirtiest cities in Russia in 2018 would not be complete without the "city of harsh men." Historically, the concentration of large industrial enterprises is greatest beyond the Urals. Therefore, Siberians suffer the most from bad ecology. Chelyabinsk was no exception. Both in the city itself and outside it there are many industrial enterprises. As a result, Chelyabinsk residents breathe air with a high content of various harmful chemicals - for example, phenol, hydrogen sulfide, formaldehyde, and so on. Smog in the city hangs almost around the clock.
The location of the city also adds problems - most often (from a third to half of the days a year) there is calm or a weak breeze will blow at most. In the absence of air movement, air masses do not mix, and emissions accumulate in the lower part of the atmosphere. And Chelyabinsk residents are forced to breathe it. The city also ranked in the number of living standards.
Another reason for the unfavorable environmental situation in the city is that there is nowhere to dump garbage. The main city dump was completely filled a quarter of a century ago, and this giant mountain of garbage in the summer months from time to time begins to blaze - adding problems to Chelyabinsk residents. Oh yes, and swimming in the reservoirs near Chelyabinsk is highly discouraged.
Best of all, the situation with the ecology in the city is characterized by the presence in the city of the largest cancer center in Siberia. For many years Omsk has been among the top five Russian cities, the population of which suffers most from cancer. The reason for the unfavorable environmental situation is the multitude of industrial enterprises located in the city. The poultry farm also adds aromas - thanks to it, residents of nearby microdistricts do not dare to open the windows to ventilate the apartment. And although there are no enterprises in the city center, their absence is more than made up for by cars.
The Irtysh, on the banks of which the city stands, although fairly shallow, is capable of bringing many problems to those who dare to swim in it. Here and E. coli, and staphylococcus, and other bacteria that are not averse to settling in a person.
However, since 2010 the city has been trying to reduce the amount of emissions. For this, filters are being installed at the CHP plant to trap particles from the smoke, and factory equipment is being modernized. It remains only to solve the problem of garbage, which is critical in Omsk - two of the three landfills are closed, and the third cannot cope with the gigantic volumes of rubbish that the million-plus city spews out of itself every day.
The main cause of pollution in Norilsk is the work of the local metallurgical plant Norilsk Nickel. Every year, he, without stint, throws two and a half million tons of sulfur dioxide into the air, which cover the city.
As a result of the operation of the enterprise and the poor condition of the treatment facilities, the water in Norilsk has a unique turquoise-green color due to the high content blue vitriol. The surrounding coniferous forests are leafless - their needles were burned by acid rain. Sewage emissions destroyed all flora and fauna in the lakes near the city. Well, at least thanks to strong winds, the smog in Norilsk almost does not hold.
No wonder Norilsk is included in the list of the most environmentally polluted cities in Russia in 2018. Norilsk residents are consoled only by the fact that Norilsk is not yet a leader in the world ranking of the dirtiest cities in the world. It is confidently overtaken by Chinese and Indian cities: there, with industrial emissions into the air, the situation is even worse.
Another large industrial Siberian city with an extremely unfortunate location - its territory is bordered by mountains that prevent the winds from blowing through the city. As a result, smog, consisting of automobile and industrial emissions, stagnates over the city.
And there are many enterprises in Novokuznetsk - these are ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy plants, and coal plants, as well as thermal power plants, without which not a single large city can do. As usual, zealous owners are not in a hurry to upgrade equipment - as a result, more than 80% of harmful substances easily pass through the filters. Therefore, every year up to 300 tons of harmful substances enter the atmosphere of the city, which, due to low air circulation, are inhaled by the inhabitants of Novokuznetsk.
There is also a problem in the city with landfills - the existing ones cannot cope with the volume of garbage. Therefore, random landfills are growing, where citizens dump their waste, which adds unique notes to the atmosphere of the city.
Nizhny Tagil received a special mention in the May presidential decree as the only city in the Sverdlovsk region - the highest will was ordered to reduce the amount of emissions into the city's air by at least 20%. The party said: "We must!" The bourgeois replied: "Yes!" Ecological organizations of the city note the increased activity of plant owners in fulfilling the decree. Despite the fact that this will hit their wallets hard, because ecology is an expensive business. According to calculations, at least 3% of the funds should be allocated from the budget to maintain the ecological situation of the city in an acceptable form. In reality, of course, no more than 0.02% is released.
There are several large industrial enterprises in Nizhny Tagil, contributing their share to pollution; among them is the famous Uralvagonzavod from YouTube videos. Nizhny Tagil Iron and Steel Works is the leader among them in terms of emissions. In addition to air, enterprises also poison water by pouring it into water sources. wastewater. True, the situation is no longer as catastrophic as it once was in the early 90s - many "dirty" enterprises went bankrupt and collapsed, and the rest at least somehow observe decorum.
Magnitogorsk is also included in the list of the dirtiest cities in Russia in 2018 in terms of ecology. The local smelter is one of the largest iron ore refineries in the country. As a result, the concentration of harmful substances in the atmosphere was exceeded by 10-20 times, despite all the efforts of the plant management.
The waters of the Urals, which flowed to its own misfortune, also underwent changes - for the sake of the plant, the river was fenced with a dam, from where water is taken for the needs of the enterprise. However, the used water, although having passed through the filters, is drained there. As a result, eating fish caught from there is literally life-threatening.
The inhabitants of the left bank of the Urals, where production is concentrated, suffer the most. The city government decided to build only on the right bank of the Urals, where the environmental situation is more or less favorable (and to relocate the “left-bankers” there). In the future, it is planned (someday, when there is enough money) to build several small satellite towns of Magnitogorsk, place them in forests and build roads to the city. Rumor has it that it will be cheaper than trying to modernize the city as it is now.
Like Norilsk, Lipetsk suffers from the consequences of being a large industrial enterprise within the city. The Novolipetsk Iron and Steel Works generously “gifts” 290,000 tons of harmful emissions per year to the residents of Lipetsk. And although it is located on the left, low bank of the Voronezh River, and residential buildings are on the higher right bank, the characteristic smells of a large industrial enterprise, including the hydrogen sulfide stench, penetrate into the apartments of the city residents.
The city is also regularly shaken by scandals - at night someone quietly releases harmful substances into the air in quantities that are much higher than the norm. But who does it is a mystery shrouded in darkness.
In addition to the enterprise, they add their own unique notes to the atmosphere of the city and cars. Approximately one third of the harmful substances in the air are their cause. Concerned residents of Lipov have introduced continuous monitoring of air quality (by the way, Lipetsk is the only city in Russia to have such a system) and are trying to modernize traffic in the city to reduce emissions. True, as evil tongues say, this was done primarily to cut the budget - as the results are somehow not visible.
The townspeople were lucky only with water - underground sources have not yet been affected by industrial damage.
Krasnoyarsk has long and firmly been below the red line of environmental safety. Scientists believe that if everything continues to go its own way, in 70 years it will be impossible for anyone to live in the city. Except cockroaches - these will survive everywhere.
In February 2018, a yellow fog filled the city, almost like in a Stephen King novel. And residents, especially those suffering from diseases of the respiratory system, were not recommended to go out at all. The concentration of harmful substances in this yellow fog is much higher than the norm. And the townspeople regularly observe the phenomenon, which they called the “black sky”. It is not jet black yet, more of a dark grey, but we suspect it is still ahead.
As usual, industrial enterprises are to blame (especially the aluminum plant, which is constantly increasing its capacity) and thermal power plants; the amount of car exhausts is no more than 35% of the unique atmosphere of the city. And most of all, human greed is to blame - both large enterprises and private ones use very cheap low-quality coal as fuel. Electric boilers are not available to everyone due to high prices. Here they are stoked. So soot settles on windows, walls and the ground.
Bratsk closes the top 10 most polluted cities in Russia. According to scientists, the environmental situation is to blame for the increased number of oncological diseases among city residents. If the air remains the same degree of pollution, it will only get worse in the future. The reason, as usual, is a number of large industrial enterprises located within the city, including a pulp and paper mill, an aluminum plant and a hydroelectric power station. It is especially unpleasant for residents of the central region, where all the unique industrial flavors are carried by the winds.
In addition to emissions from enterprises, in the summer the atmosphere of Bratsk is poisoned by regular forest fires, burning huge areas every year.
Fortunately, the residents of the city have an outlet - the "Brotherly Sea", or a reservoir where no one drains sewage and on the shore of which you can safely and safely swim and sunbathe.
Factors of air pollution and NMU formation
First of all, smog is to blame for human diseases - a poisonous fog, which includes many harmful substances that can harm the respiratory system. And not only for her - dirty air can cause disorders of the immune system, causes an increase in blood pressure, the occurrence of pathologies in infants, and can also exacerbate the course of cardiovascular diseases.
Smog arises due to automobile exhausts (the more cars there are in the city, the harder it is to breathe in it), as well as from harmful emissions if industrial enterprises are located within the city or in its immediate vicinity.
An important role is played by the location and layout of the city - if it is located in a poorly ventilated lowland, then the chances of residents to get sick with diseases of the respiratory system become higher
How will "correct" the environment in Russia
In addition to compiling this list, the Ministry of Natural Resources also proposed a draft law on environmental information to the State Duma. A month after the report, Vladimir Vladimirovich himself conferred with members of the Government, who enlightened the head of government on measures designed to alleviate the situation.
According to officials, from 2019 we will live better in terms of environmental safety. It is then that the system of environmental regulation will begin to work.
It consists in the fact that "dirty" and not very enterprises will switch to more modern and less environmentally hazardous production methods.
First of all, the changes will affect those 300 plants that are responsible for more than half of all industrial emissions in Russia.
True, skeptics report that funds for "clean" production will be produced in Russia itself, and in order to establish their mass production, at least 9 trillion rubles are needed. rub. investment and at least two years of time.
So for now, you have to breathe with what you have, dear readers. Or look for another place to live.
More than a billion inhabitants of the dirtiest cities in the world are suffering from the consequences of progress on a once green and clean planet. Acid rains, mutations of living organisms, extinction of biological species - all this, unfortunately, has become a reality.
Please note: in this article we have collected the dirtiest cities on Earth, and you can get acquainted with the rating of the most polluted cities in Russia in a separate article. However, the world rating compiled by the Blacksmith Institute still includes two Russian cities. So, here is the TOP 10 dirtiest cities in the world. We also invite you to watch a video about the 6 dirtiest cities where people still live and learn more about the life of the people who inhabit them.
6 dirtiest cities in the world where people still live
10th place - Sumgayit, Azerbaijan
The ecology of this city with a population of 285,000 was seriously affected in Soviet times, when, in the pursuit of production volumes, concern for nature receded into the background. Once a major center of the chemical industry, Sumgayit still suffers from the "legacy" of that era. Dried land, poisonous precipitation and high levels of heavy metals in the atmosphere make some areas of the city and its environs look like the scenery for some kind of Hollywood post-apocalyptic action movie. Although, as "green" activists note, over the past couple of years, the environmental situation in Sumgayit has improved significantly.9th place - Kabwe, Zambia
In 1902, deposits of lead were found in the vicinity of Kabwe. For residents of the city, the entire 20th century passed under the auspices of the mining and smelting of this metal. Uncontrolled production has led to a huge amount of hazardous waste entering the biosphere. All mining operations in Kabwe were closed 20 years ago, but the consequences continue to haunt innocent residents. For example, in 2006, in the blood of Kabwi children, lead and cadmium levels were found to be 10 times higher than normal. 
8th place - Chernobyl, Ukraine
Despite the fact that more than 30 years have passed since one of the worst nuclear disasters in history, the city is still considered uninhabitable. However, from the point of view we are accustomed to, it can be considered very clean: no garbage, no car exhaust; however, Chernobyl's air contains over a dozen radioactive elements, including cesium-137 and strontium-90. A person who has been in this zone for a long time without proper protection is at risk of getting leukemia. 
7th place - Agbogbloshi, Ghana
One of the largest dumps of household appliances in the world is located here. About 215,000 tons of end-of-life electronics arrive in Ghana every year, producing approximately 129,000 tons of environmentally hazardous waste, primarily lead. According to disappointing forecasts, by 2020 the volume of pollution of Agbogbloshie will double. 
6th place - Dzerzhinsk, Russia
Inherited from Soviet Union Dzerzhinsk got colossal complexes of the chemical industry, which in the period from 1930 to 1998 "fertilized" the local soil with about 300 thousand tons of toxic waste. According to analyzes carried out here in 2007, the content of dioxins and phenol in local water bodies is several thousand times higher than the norm. The average lifespan of Dzerzhinsk residents is 42 years (men) and 47 years (women). 
5th place - Norilsk, Russia
Since its founding in 1935, Norilsk has been known as one of the world leaders in the heavy industry. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), every year 1,000 tons of copper and nickel oxides, as well as about 2 million tons of sulfur oxide, are released into the air over the city. The average life expectancy of Norilsk residents is 10 years lower than in the country. 
4th place - La Oroya, Peru
A small town in the foothills of the Andes repeated the fate of many settlements, on the territory of which deposits of metals were discovered. For decades, copper, zinc and lead have been mined here, without caring about the state of the environment. Infant mortality is higher here than anywhere else in Peru, and indeed in South America. 
3rd place - Sukinda, India
It is not the first time that cities in India get into the "dirty" rating, but soon, as a rule, they leave it, for example, the Indian city of Vapi, which used to be located on the next line with Sukinda, said goodbye to the list in 2013. Alas, it is too early for the residents of Sukinda to celebrate the victory over pollution: 60% of local water contains a deadly dose of hexavalent chromium. Analyzes have shown that almost two thirds of all diseases of the city dwellers are caused by an increased content of chromium in the blood. 
2nd place - Tianying, China
A terrible environmental disaster has overtaken this city, which is one of the largest metallurgical centers in China. Local authorities turn a blind eye to lead literally soaking the earth. Metal oxides have an irreversible effect on the brain, making the locals lethargic, irritable and slow. There is also an unprecedented number of cases of childhood dementia here - it is also one of the side effects lead observed when released into the blood.The state report "On Environmental Protection" named the cities of Russia with the dirtiest air. Krasnoyarsk, Magnitogorsk and Norilsk turned out to be the most dangerous cities for living. In total, there are 15 most polluted territories in Russia, which, according to environmentalists, are the most unfavorable in terms of, first of all, atmospheric air and waste accumulation.
The black list of the dirtiest cities included Norilsk, Lipetsk, Cherepovets, Novokuznetsk, Nizhny Tagil, Magnitogorsk, Krasnoyarsk, Omsk, Chelyabinsk, Bratsk, Novocherkassk, Chita, Dzerzhinsk, Mednogorsk and Asbest.
Krasnoyarsk called "a zone of ecological disaster"
Alas, today Krasnoyarsk residents are literally suffocating in emissions. The reason for this is the active work of industrial facilities, factories and vehicles.
Krasnoyarsk, being the center of the East Siberian economic region, is one of the major industrial and transport cities, its ecological situation is in an extremely tense state. Over the past year, the ecology of this million-plus city has deteriorated even more. Within the framework of the special project “Practical Ecology”, an analysis of the ecological situation was carried out in this Siberian city.
The study of pollution was carried out using air sampling. If in 2014 only 0.7% of these samples had an excess, then in 2017 this figure increased to 2.1% - that is, 3 times. Sounds scary. The same report, by the way, also speaks of an increase in the number of cancer patients in the city by about 2.5% per year. And by the end of 2017, this number may reach 373 patients per 100,000 inhabitants.
Magnitogorsk, the most environmentally unfavorable city in the Urals
The unfavorable state of the atmospheric air in the city is determined by the emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere, the main source of which, of course, is the Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works. The city of Magnitogorsk, whose city-forming enterprise has become an industrial giant, is constantly included in the priority list of cities in the Russian Federation with the highest level of air pollution in terms of benzapyrene, nitrogen dioxide, carbon disulfide, and phenol.
Norilsk: ecological crisis in conditions of extreme cold
This city, which was built by Gulag prisoners in the 1930s, can be called a place for extreme sports. Norilsk, with a population of over 100,000, is located in the freezing Siberian Arctic. The maximum temperature in summer can reach 32 °C, and the minimum in winter can be below -50 °C. The city, whose economic basis is the mining industry, is completely dependent on imported food. The main industry is the extraction of precious metals. And it is precisely because of metal mining that Norilsk has become one of the most polluted cities in Russia.
Norilsk continues to be one of the three most polluted Russian cities, even despite the fact that after the closure of the Nickel Plant in June 2016, harmful emissions into the atmosphere were reduced by a third. This facility, located in the historic center, was Norilsk Nickel's oldest asset and accounted for 25% of the region's total pollution. The enterprise annually emitted about 400,000 tons of sulfur dioxide into the air. This made Norilsk the main polluter in the Arctic and one of the ten dirtiest cities on the planet according to Greenpeace.
Ecology in Lipetsk leaves much to be desired. A significant part of the residential development is located on the right bank of the Voronezh River, while the building of the metallurgical plant is on the gently sloping left bank. Due to the wind rose with a predominance of northeasterly winds, some areas of the city are experiencing discomfort.
Cherepovets
Cherepovets is a city with a developed industrial production, which, of course, directly affects the ecological situation. Moreover, here it is impossible to single out an area that would be relatively free from industrial pollution - absolutely all areas feel the influence of industrial zones.
Residents of the city often feel the unpleasant smell of industrial emissions, more often than others they clean their windows from black plaque and observe multi-colored smoke that comes out of the chimneys of factories every day. In spring and autumn, the ecological situation in the city deteriorates somewhat, which is associated with weather conditions that reduce the dispersion of harmful components, which contributes to their accumulation in the atmosphere.
Novokuznetsk
This is another industrial Russian city, in the center of which there is a metallurgical plant. It is not surprising that the ecological situation here is characterized as unfavorable: air pollution is especially serious. There are 145,000 vehicles registered in the city, the gross emissions of which amounted to 76.5 thousand tons.
Nizhny Tagil
Nizhny Tagil has long been on the list of cities with the most polluted air. The maximum allowable value of benzapyrene in the atmosphere of the city was exceeded 13 times.
In the past, the abundance of enterprises led to numerous emissions into the atmosphere. Now 58% of air pollution in the city is accounted for by motor vehicles. In addition to urban air pollution, the deplorable state of water in the Om and Irtysh rivers adds to the environmental problems in Omsk.
Chelyabinsk
In industrial Chelyabinsk, a fairly high level of air pollution is recorded. But this situation is further complicated by the fact that a third of the year in the city is calm. In hot weather, smog can be observed over Chelyabinsk, which is the result of the activities of the electrode plant, the Chelyabinsk State District Power Plant, the ChEMK and several Chelyabinsk thermal power plants. Power plants account for about 20% of all recorded emissions.
Dzerzhinsk
The real threat to the ecology of the city are deep burials of waste from hazardous industries and a sludge lake (nicknamed the "white sea") with waste from chemical production.
The main sources of air pollution in the city are the Bratsk aluminum plant, the ferroalloy plant, the thermal power plant and the Bratsk timber industry complex. In addition, every spring and summer there are regular forest fires that last from two weeks to four months.
For three years in a row, this city has been included in the anti-rating. The regional center ranks second in the country after Vladivostok in terms of the number of cars per capita, which is one of the sources of air pollution within the city. In addition, there is the problem of urban water pollution.
Mednogorsk
The main environmental pollutant is the Mednogorsk copper-sulphur plant, which emits a large amount of sulfur dioxide into the air, which forms sulfuric acid when it settles above the soil.
Novocherkassk
The city of Asbest produces 25% of the world's chrysotile asbestos. Known for its heat resistance and carcinogenic properties, this fibrous mineral is banned in most European countries. Around the clock, in a giant 12 km long quarry in Asbest, “stone flax” is mined for the production of asbestos-cement pipes, insulation and building materials, half of which is exported to 50 countries. Local residents do not believe in the harm of asbestos.
Progress gives the world innovative technologies. Opportunities and objects are constantly appearing that make life more convenient and dynamic. But there is a downside, a negative side - the most polluted cities in the world. Increasing the extraction of raw materials, increasing the scale of production and reducing its cost is detrimental to the environment. The ratings announced in this article will tell you where it is dangerous to live on earth.
Pollution Assessment Criteria
WHO, UNESCO are engaged in statistics of unfavorable ecology on the territory of the planet.
For this, the following criteria are used:
- the percentage of hazardous substances in the air, as well as in water and soil, among the most hazardous to health, such as mercury, arsenic, lead, hydrocyanic acid, mustard gas and phosgene;
- the duration of the decay period of toxic substances;
- number of population and births;
- the proximity of the city to the source of pollution;
- level of radioactive contamination;
- the impact of industrial emissions on the development of children.
Based on these factors, a rating of the most polluted places on the planet was compiled. The study of populated objects was carried out for each category. And then, according to a scale specially developed for this statistics, total indicators were determined.
Top 10 most environmentally polluted places on the planet
According to statistics from the analytical company MerserHuman from the USA, the list of the 10 most polluted cities in the world looks like this:
- Linfen is in China.
- Tien Yin is in China.
- Sukinda is in India.
- Vapi is in India.
- La Oroya is in Peru.
- Dzerzhinsk is in Russia.
- Norilsk is in Russia.
- Chernobyl is in Ukraine.
- Sumgayit is in Azerbaijan.
- Kabwe is in Zambia.
Settlements with a high level of environmental hazard:
- Bayos de Haina - in the Dominican Republic;
- Mailu Suu - in Kyrgyzstan;
- Ranipet - in India;
- Rudnaya Pristan - in Russia;
- Dalnegorsk - in Russia;
- Volgograd - in Russia;
- Magnitogorsk - in Russia;
- Karachay is in Russia.
The most environmentally polluted city in the world - Linfen
The population is 200,000 people. Leading in the world in all criteria of environmental pollution. This is the center of the coal mining industry, where, in addition to state, private and illegal mines operate.
Safety standards are ignored, which leads to a supersaturation of the air in the city and its environs with coal dust, organic chemicals, lead and carbon. The result of exposure to these substances is the progression of bronchopulmonary diseases - pneumonia, asthma, bronchitis, malignant tumors.
Other polluted cities in the world
It will be interesting to get acquainted with the settlements, which have been awarded the title of the most polluted places on the planet.
Tianying
It is called the heart of China's metallurgy. On the territory of the city there are many large industrial enterprises that emit dust, gas and heavy metal oxides into the atmosphere. Large-scale lead mining operations are carried out in the vicinity. Due to the thick gray smoke, there is no visibility at a distance of 10 meters. Soil, air and water are impregnated with lead fumes. Vegetables and signs grown in the surrounding areas contain 20 times more lead than normal. Such a critical situation leads to the development of brain pathologies. A large number of children with symptoms of dementia are born in the region.
There are chromium mines near Sukinda. This metal, widespread in production, is recognized as one of the most dangerous carcinogens. It has an extremely adverse effect on local residents, provoking gene mutations and rapidly progressing oncological diseases.
The Government of India does not take effective measures to reduce the concentration of chromium in water and soil. Treatment facilities in this region are under development.
vapi
A heavily polluted city in India is Vapi, which has a population of 71,000. Its proximity to a large industrial zone makes it life-threatening. There are many factories and plants for chemical and metallurgical purposes in the vicinity, emitting tons of harmful substances into the atmosphere. The main one is mercury, the content of which in the soil exceeded the figure by 100 times. The current situation has become fatal for the inhabitants of the region.
The average life expectancy here is only 35-40 years.
La Oroya
A polymetallic plant has been operating in the Peruvian town of La Oroya since 1922. Its intermittent emissions contain high concentrations of lead, sulfur dioxide, copper and zinc. This has caused serious illness among the local residents, whose number is 35,000.
The fallout of acid rain has led to the fact that the entire area has become dry and lifeless, devoid of vegetation. In 2009, the government of Peru was proposed a plan for a radical reconstruction of enterprises with the suspension of production for five years.
Russian Dzerzhinsk with a population of 300,000 in 2003 was included in the Guinness Book of Records. Received the title of the dirtiest city in the world. The critical situation was caused by the disposal of chemicals, which lasted from 1938 to 1998. The total volume of deadly substances amounted to 300,000 tons, that is, one ton per inhabitant.
Soil and groundwater contain critical levels of phenol, 17 million times the upper limit of normal. At the moment, cleaning work in Dzerzhinsk is at the planning stage.
Norilsk
The population of this Russian city is 180 people. It is closed to foreigners. One of the largest metallurgical plants on the planet has been operating in Norilsk for several decades. Every year in environment up to 4 million tons of chemicals are emitted, including lead, arsenic, copper, selenium and zinc. In view of this, there is almost no vegetation and insects here.
Cleaning works have been carried out in Norilsk for 10 years. The ecological situation is gradually on the mend, however, the safe level of concentration of chemicals still exceeds the norm.
In the Ukrainian city of Chernobyl on April 26, 1986, the world's worst nuclear tragedy occurred - the explosion of a nuclear power plant. All residents were evacuated. Territory over 150,000 sq. m. was under the influence of a radioactive cloud, consisting of the evaporation of heavy metals, uranium, pluton, iodine and strontium.
The radiation level in the exclusion zone carries a mortal danger. This area is empty to this day.
Sumgayit
Under the Soviet Union, Azerbaijani Sumgayit occupied a central place in the chemical industry. Due to the constant emissions of mercury and oil products, the city of 285,000 people has become almost uninhabitable.
Kabwe
Large deposits of lead were discovered near the Zambian city of Kabwe more than a century ago. Since then, this mineral has been actively mined. The local population is 250,000 people. From the territories of lead mines, hazardous waste is constantly spreading into the air, soil and groundwater. This causes pathologies of internal organs, muscle atrophy and severe blood poisoning.
Baios de Haina
It is a small city in the Dominican Republic with a population of 85,000 people. The danger to health and life here is represented by a plant specializing in the production of car batteries. Lead emissions into the atmosphere are four times higher than the standard. The consequence of this are congenital mutations and mental disorders.
Mailu-Suu
In Mailu-Suu, located in Kyrgyzstan, during 1948-1968. mined uranium. Today, the level of radiation is 10 times higher than the normative indicators. The reason for the critical situation in the city and its environs are burial grounds with dangerous substances. Contrary to the warnings of scientists, they were built in areas of increased seismological danger. Due to earthquakes and landslides, burials are destroyed. The United States of America is involved in solving this problem. Work is underway.
The polluted cities considered in the article pose an environmental threat to the entire planet. Toxic components are spread due to air cyclones, soil migration and the natural water cycle. The problem requires an urgent solution at the global level.
