Approaches to systematic assessment of environmental exposures posed at hazardous waste sites in the developing world: the Toxic Sites Identification Program |
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Authors: | Bret Ericson Jack Caravanos Kevin Chatham-Stephens Philip Landrigan Richard Fuller |
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Institution: | 4. Blacksmith Institute, 475 Riverside Drive, 860, New York, NY, 10115, USA 3. School of Public Health at Hunter College, City University of New York, 2180 Third Avenue, New York, NY, 10035, USA 1. Department of Preventive Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1057, New York, NY, 10029, USA 2. Department of Pediatrics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1198, New York, NY, 10029, USA
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Abstract: | In the developing world, environmental chemical exposures due to hazardous waste sites are poorly documented. We describe the approach taken by the Blacksmith Institute's Toxic Sites Identification Program in documenting environmental chemical exposures due to hazardous waste sites globally, identifying sites of concern and quantifying pathways, populations, and severity of exposure. A network of local environmental investigators was identified and trained to conduct hazardous waste site investigations and assessments. To date, 2,095 contaminated sites have been identified within 47 countries having an estimated population at risk of 71,500,000. Trained researchers and investigators have visited 1,400 of those sites. Heavy metals are the leading primary exposures, with water supply and ambient air being the primary routes of exposure. Even though chemical production has occurred largely in the developed world to date, many hazardous waste sites in the developing world pose significant hazards to the health of large portions of the population. Further research is needed to quantify potential health and economic consequences and identify cost-effective approaches to remediation. |
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