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Gift Report 2015 95 million people at risk
Every year, nearly 100 million people worldwide are exposed to dangerous environmental toxins that can seriously damage their health. Millions of deaths are attributable to the increasing burden of the six most dangerous pollutants, lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, radionuclides, pesticides and cadmium, according to the "Environmental Poison Report 2015" by the Swiss environmental organization Green Cross and organization Pure Earth from New York.
According to Green Cross, the health consequences of environmental pollution are comparable to those of dreaded infectious diseases such as AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. Without appropriate countermeasures, the number of people exposed to dangerous levels of pollution will continue to increase. Although the health consequences of environmental pollution are similar to those of the infectious diseases mentioned above, only a fraction of the financial investments and measures are made here compared to the diseases. A large part of the necessary remedial measures therefore remain without financial means.
95 million people worldwide are at risk from high levels of environmental toxins. (Image: ebenart / fotolia.com) Especially children at risk
The six most dangerous pollutants lead, radionuclides, mercury, hexavalent chromium, pesticides and cadmium, the health of a total of 95 million people worldwide endangered, especially in the low-income and middle-income countries, increased exposure to environmental toxins, the experts report. "These pollutants often lead to life-threatening illnesses, especially in children," warns the Green Cross. A pollutant is new to this year's top list of environmental toxins: cadmium has replaced arsenic.
Worldwide, 26 million people are at risk of exposure to lead
According to experts, the number of people exposed to dangerous levels of environmental toxin is increasing worldwide. In 2012, it is estimated that one in seven deaths was due to contact with the corresponding toxins. The proportion of environmental toxins in total disease burden has been increasing for years. According to the Environmental Toxicology Report, elevated lead concentrations are the equivalent of 26 million people around the world, with heavy metals coming from old car batteries, for example, and increasing pressures as global vehicle production increases. Lead has a strong neurotoxic effect. The consequences of over-absorption are neurological damage, nervous disorders, a decline in cognitive abilities, anemia and a variety of other health problems. At high concentrations, lead poisoning can lead to death. Children are most at risk, according to the environmental poison report.
Acute and chronic consequences of radionuclides
According to the experts, radionuclides are the second most dangerous environmental toxin. Much of the burden is the result of industrial processes such as uranium mining, nuclear weapons production, power production by nuclear energy or the production of radiological products for medicine. The increased exposure to radionuclides (22 million people worldwide) could lead to acute health effects such as headache, nausea and vomiting. Impairments such as fatigue, weakness, hair loss, dizziness, chronic diarrhea, blood in the stool and low blood pressure are possible consequences of long-term contamination. In addition, cell damage could occur due to the ionizing radiation of radionuclides, the scientists report in the "Environmental Poison Report 2015". In the worst case, contact with radionuclides ends fatally.
Mercury and hexavalent chromium
According to the experts, the increasing global mercury pollution is to be seen in connection with the continuing high gold price, among other things. The emissions of mercury by the gold mining are clearly rising. The heavy metal can damage the kidney, the brain and the immune system. Worldwide, 19 million people are exposed to harmful mercury pollution. Hexavalent chromium is also one of the heavy metals. For example, it is released in large quantities in leather processing and has a variety of deleterious effects on health, with damage to the respiratory and / or gastrointestinal system depending on the route of exposure. Furthermore, hexavalent chromium is carcinogenic in humans and may favor various cancers, according to the environmental poison report. Altogether, according to the Environmental Toxic Report, 16 million people are endangered by excessive exposure to hexavalent chromium.
Environmental toxins cause eight million deaths annually
Pesticides are mainly used in agriculture to eliminate pests or to increase the yield and then accumulate in the environment. Possible consequences of an acutely increased pesticide load include headache, nausea, dizziness and convulsions. The permanent increase in exposure can, among other things, lead to neurological damage, impairment of fertility and dermatological diseases. Seven million people worldwide are threatened by pesticides in their health. Cadmium is also endangering a total of five million people, with strains that are often too high, especially in Asia. Cadmium is a by-product of zinc mining and processing. In the environment of smelting and zinc mines often high loads can be detected. Cadmium is easily absorbed from the soil by plants - including leafy vegetables and grains - and thus enters the food chain, the scientists report. Even small amounts of cadmium could cause serious health problems. According to the authors of the Environmental Poison Report, "the six most dangerous environmental toxins are responsible for an estimated eight million deaths in low- and middle-income countries." (Fp)