English version by Chris @ Jul 19th, 2007
Chinese version by 煎蛋
1. Chernobyl, Ukraine
When you hear Chernobyl, you immediately think nuclear disaster. It was, in fact the worst nuclear accident in history. A huge fallout cloud of radioactive dust spread across vast swathes of the Soviet Union, Europe and Eastern North America. As a result, an estimated 9 thousand people have contracted cancer and died. The disaster displaced over 336,000 people. Life expectancy is low. However, according to scientist James Lovelock, Chernobyl was an ecological success: animals can now roam around free without being hunted. Environmental Graffiti disagrees.
1. 乌克兰的切尔诺贝利
一提到切尔诺贝利，人们第一反应便是核难——史上最惨的核事故。巨大的放射性尘云迅速蔓延遍及苏联、欧洲和北美东部。约九千人由此感染癌症致死，336 000 人流离失所，普遍寿命缩短。然而科学家 James Lovelock 称切尔诺贝利获得生态上的成功：动物可以自由奔跑不用担心被捕杀。Enviromental Graffiti（blog方）却持相左意见。
2. Dzerzhinsk, Russia
Until recently, the city of Dzerzhinsk in Russia used to produce huge quantities of chemical weapons, including mustard gas and lewisite. Chemical weapons ceased to be produced by 1945. However, the waste was buried underground, contaminating water and crops. The site however, remains the largest producer of chemicals for the Russian Federation. Life expectancy is low at 42 for men and 47 years for women. This is attributed to the high levels of persistent organic chemicals.
2.俄罗斯的捷尔任斯克
前不久，俄罗斯的捷尔任斯克还在制造大规模化学武器，包括芥子气和路易斯毒气（lewisite
氯乙烯氯砷）。化学武器于1945年停止生产，但其废品却地下掩埋，污染了水和庄稼。然而这个地方仍然用来作为俄罗斯联邦最大的化学生产地。平均寿命低到男 42 女 47。这都归咎于长期大量有机化学生活环境。
3. Haina, Dominican Republic
Haina, has been referred to as the ‘Dominican Chernobyl’. According to the United Nations, the population of Haina is considered to have the highest level of lead contamination in the world, and its entire population bears the scars. The contamination is believed to have been caused by the past industrial operations of the nearby Baterías Meteoro, an automobile battery recycling smelter. Although the company has moved to a new site, the contamination still remains.
3.多米尼加共和国的海娜
海娜被戏称为多米尼加的切尔诺贝利。联合国认定海娜人民是世界上被铅污染程度最高，并且是全国范围。这种污染据称是以前附近的 Baterías Meteoro 一家汽车电池回收冶炼厂的工业制造的。尽管现在工厂迁新址，可污染仍留在当地。
4. Kabwe, Zambia
Kabwe, the “bush capital” of Zambia was the site of a huge mine. The mine became the largest in the country until overtaken in the early 1930s by larger copper mining complexes on the Copper belt. Apart from lead and zinc it also produced silver, manganese and heavy metals such as cadmium, vanadium, and titanium in smaller quantities. The reason why the mine is on our list is that large quantities of zinc and lead tailing have made their way into the local water supply.
4. 赞比亚的卡布韦
卡布韦是赞比亚的第二大城市，也是一个大型矿场。在赞比亚一直是采矿第一直到 1930 年代被铜矿带的采铜业赶超。除了铅锌，还出产银、锰和重金属。大量铅锌矿渣是当地缺水，从而影响环境。
5. La Oroya, Peru
Since 1922, adults and children in La Oroya, Peru - a mining town in the Peruvian Andes and the site of a poly-metallic smelter - have been exposed to the toxic emissions from the plant. Currently owned by the Missouri-based Doe Run Corporation, the plant is largely responsible for the dangerously high blood lead levels found in the children of this community. Studies carried out by the Director General of Environmental Health in Peru in 1999 showed that ninety-nine percent of children living in and around La Oroya have blood lead levels that exceed acceptable amounts.
5.秘鲁的拉奥罗亚
位于秘鲁安第斯山脉的拉奥罗亚作为多金属冶炼厂自 1922 年来就是放有毒气体。这家工厂属总部在密苏里 Missouri 的“都软”公司 Doe Run Corporation。当地儿童血液里的铅金属含量严重超标。秘鲁环境卫生总指挥部的研究发现，生活在拉奥罗亚附近99%的儿童血液中全含量超过上限。
