城之殤：全球十大污染重鎮

工業文明的發展在給人類帶來物質財富的同時，卻也不可避免地給地球造成了嚴重的環境污染問題，人類的健康正因此受到嚴重的威脅，中國癌癥村和癌癥縣的出現便是一個例證。盲目地發展經濟使得某些城鎮家園盡毀，而居民要么流離失所，要么疾病纏身，嚴重的甚至要付出生命的代價。警鐘已然敲響，人類該如何應對？

Climate change may get most of the attention， but the biggest environmental risk to human health today isnt global warming. Its industrial pollution， often in poor cities and towns where factories， power plants and chemical facilities face little to no regulation. A new report from the Blacksmith Institute1）—an NGO that addresses industrial pollution—estimates that industrial pollution poses a health risk to more than 200 million people around the world， often through elevated levels of cancer， respiratory2） disease and other illnesses. The report names ten of the most polluted places on the planet， which range from the oil-contaminated Niger Delta in Nigeria to the badly polluted Soviet-era industrial town of Dzerzhinsk in Russia. Life in these places can be short and brutal， but the good news is that cleaning up this sort of old industrial pollution is often much cheaper and easier than dealing with the pervasive3） problem of climate change. The international community just has to make it happen.

人們對氣候變化可能最為關注，但如今威脅人類健康的最大環境問題并非全球變暖，而是工業污染——這些污染往往發生在對工廠、電廠和化學設施幾乎沒有監管的貧困城鎮。致力于解決工業污染的非政府組織布萊克史密斯研究所在其新報告中估測，工業污染對全球兩億多人口的健康造成了威脅，通常表現為癌癥、呼吸系統疾病及其他疾病發病率的居高不下。該報告指出了全球十大環境污染最嚴重的地區，從尼日利亞境內受到石油污染的尼日爾河三角洲，到前蘇聯時期受到嚴重污染的俄羅斯工業小鎮捷爾任斯克都“榜上有名”。這些地區的居民壽命較短且所處環境惡劣，不過好在治理這些遺留下來的工業污染往往比應對普遍存在的氣候變化問題花費少得多，也容易得多。只是國際社會必須行動起來，進行治理。

Agbogbloshie， Ghana 阿格博格布洛西（加納）

We think of our cell phones and laptops as clean technology， but they contain trace4） amounts of valuable metals like copper and gold. And when junked electronics are processed by the very poor， out in the open， they can lead to dangerous levels of pollution. Thats what happens at the Agbogbloshie dump site outside Accra， the capital of Ghana. Sheathed cables5） are burnt in the open to get at the copper material inside， often using Styrofoam6） packaging as fuel. Those cables contain heavy metals like lead， which can migrate from the smoke into the soil. Samples taken from around Agbogbloshie indicate lead levels as high as 18，125 parts per million7）—as much as 45 times higher than U.S. standards. As many as 250，000 Ghanaians might be at risk.

我們認為我們的手機和筆記本電腦屬于清潔技術，但其實它們含有微量的貴重金屬，例如銅和金。而窮人們露天處理廢棄的電子產品時會造成危害性極強的污染。在位于加納首都阿克拉城外的阿格博格布洛西垃圾場就發生了這樣的事情。人們為了得到電纜內部的銅，經常用聚苯乙烯泡沫塑料包裝作燃料，露天燃燒鎧裝電纜。那些電纜中含有的鉛之類的重金屬能夠從煙霧中遷移到土壤里。對阿格博格布洛西周邊地區進行的采樣顯示，鉛的含量高達18，125 ppm，這是美國鉛含量標準的45倍，可能威脅到多達25萬加納人。

Agbogbloshie， Ghana 阿格博格布洛西（加納）

We think of our cell phones and laptops as clean technology， but they contain trace4） amounts of valuable metals like copper and gold. And when junked electronics are processed by the very poor， out in the open， they can lead to dangerous levels of pollution. Thats what happens at the Agbogbloshie dump site outside Accra， the capital of Ghana. Sheathed cables5） are burnt in the open to get at the copper material inside， often using Styrofoam6） packaging as fuel. Those cables contain heavy metals like lead， which can migrate from the smoke into the soil. Samples taken from around Agbogbloshie indicate lead levels as high as 18，125 parts per million7）—as much as 45 times higher than U.S. standards. As many as 250，000 Ghanaians might be at risk.

我們認為我們的手機和筆記本電腦屬于清潔技術，但其實它們含有微量的貴重金屬，例如銅和金。而窮人們露天處理廢棄的電子產品時會造成危害性極強的污染。在位于加納首都阿克拉城外的阿格博格布洛西垃圾場就發生了這樣的事情。人們為了得到電纜內部的銅，經常用聚苯乙烯泡沫塑料包裝作燃料，露天燃燒鎧裝電纜。那些電纜中含有的鉛之類的重金屬能夠從煙霧中遷移到土壤里。對阿格博格布洛西周邊地區進行的采樣顯示，鉛的含量高達18，125 ppm，這是美國鉛含量標準的45倍，可能威脅到多達25萬加納人。

3. pervasive [p??ve?s?v] adj. 到處存在的，到處彌漫著的，遍布的

4. trace [tre?s] n. 微量

5. sheathed cable：鎧裝電纜。sheathe [?i??] vt. 覆蓋，包住

6. Styrofoam [?sta?r?f??m] n. 聚苯乙烯泡沫塑料

7. part per million：百萬分率，縮寫為ppm，通常用來表示氣體濃度或溶液濃度，表示一百萬份單位質量的溶液中所含溶質的質量。

8. artery [?ɑ?t?ri] n. 干線，要道

9. EPA：美國環保署（全稱為U.S. Environmental Protection Agency），是美國聯邦政府的一個獨立行政機構，負責維護自然環境和保護人類健康不受環境危害的影響。

10. manganese [?m??ɡ?ni?z] n. 錳

11. meltdown [?meltda?n] n. （造成放射性物質逸出的）核反應堆堆芯熔毀

12. thyroid [?θa?r??d] n. 甲狀腺

13. dioxin [da???ks?n] n. 戴奧辛（一種劇毒的化學物質）

14. phenol [?fi?n?l] n. 苯酚

15. tannery [?t?n?ri] n. 制革廠

16. hexavalent chromium：六價鉻。hexavalent [heks??ve?l?nt] adj. 六價的

17. rash [r??] n. [醫]皮疹

18. nausea [?n??zi?] n. 惡心，作嘔；嘔吐感

Chernobyl， Ukraine 切爾諾貝利（烏克蘭）

Internationally recognized as the worst nuclear disaster in history， the Chernobyl meltdown11） released more than 100 times the radioactivity of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The 19-mile exclusion area around the plant remains largely uninhabited nearly 20 years after the catastrophe， and officials believe the accident might have lead to some 4，000 cases of thyroid12） cancer. Today over a dozen artificial radionuclides can be detected in the surface soil around the plant. While the damage from Chernobyl didnt turn out to be as serious as many researchers feared when the meltdown occurred， the accident is still a reminder of the long-term dangers of poorly-run nuclear plants.

切爾諾貝利核泄漏事故是世界公認的歷史上最嚴重的核災難。該事故所釋放的輻射比爆炸于廣島和長崎的原子彈強100多倍。災難發生近20年后，核電站周圍19英里的禁區內仍然基本上杳無人跡。官方認為，這一事故可能已經造成約4000人罹患甲狀腺癌。時至今日，核電站周圍的表土中仍能檢測出12種以上的人工放射性核素。盡管切爾諾貝利事故造成的破壞并沒有像很多研究者在核反應堆的堆芯熔毀發生后所擔心的那么嚴重，但是它依舊提醒著人們，監管不善的核電站存在著長期隱患。

Dzerzhinsk， Russia

捷爾任斯克（俄羅斯）

Home to the Soviet Unions principal site for chemical manufacturing—including chemical weapons—Dzerzhinsk shows the scars. An estimated 300，000 tons of chemical waste were improperly disposed of in and around the city between 1930 and 1998. Water samples taken in the city in 2007 showed levels of dioxins13） and phenols14） that were thousands of times above recommended levels—something that led the Guinness Book of World Records to name Dzerzhinsk as the most polluted city on the globe that year. Concentrations of toxic phenol have led to elevated levels of diseases and cancers of the eyes， lungs and kidneys. A 2006 survey found that life expectancy in the city—which has a population of 245，000 people—was 47 for women and 42 for men.

作為前蘇聯最重要的化學制造業（包括化學武器）基地，捷爾任斯克可謂傷痕累累。1930～1998年期間，在捷爾任斯克及其周邊地區估計有30萬噸化學廢物沒有得到妥善處理。該市2007年采集的水樣顯示，戴奧辛和苯酚的含量是建議標準的上萬倍，這導致吉尼斯世界紀錄機構將捷爾任斯克評為當年全球污染最嚴重的城市。高濃度的有毒苯酚已經導致眼部、肺部及腎臟的疾病和癌癥高發。2006年的一項調查發現，在這個擁有24.5萬人口的城市中，女性的平均壽命為47歲，男性的平均壽命為42歲。

Dzerzhinsk， Russia

捷爾任斯克（俄羅斯）

Home to the Soviet Unions principal site for chemical manufacturing—including chemical weapons—Dzerzhinsk shows the scars. An estimated 300，000 tons of chemical waste were improperly disposed of in and around the city between 1930 and 1998. Water samples taken in the city in 2007 showed levels of dioxins13） and phenols14） that were thousands of times above recommended levels—something that led the Guinness Book of World Records to name Dzerzhinsk as the most polluted city on the globe that year. Concentrations of toxic phenol have led to elevated levels of diseases and cancers of the eyes， lungs and kidneys. A 2006 survey found that life expectancy in the city—which has a population of 245，000 people—was 47 for women and 42 for men.

作為前蘇聯最重要的化學制造業（包括化學武器）基地，捷爾任斯克可謂傷痕累累。1930～1998年期間，在捷爾任斯克及其周邊地區估計有30萬噸化學廢物沒有得到妥善處理。該市2007年采集的水樣顯示，戴奧辛和苯酚的含量是建議標準的上萬倍，這導致吉尼斯世界紀錄機構將捷爾任斯克評為當年全球污染最嚴重的城市。高濃度的有毒苯酚已經導致眼部、肺部及腎臟的疾病和癌癥高發。2006年的一項調查發現，在這個擁有24.5萬人口的城市中，女性的平均壽命為47歲，男性的平均壽命為42歲。

Kabwe， Zambia 卡布韋（贊比亞）

Lead blood concentrations in Kabwe have been found at levels 60% higher than the amount considered fatal， a result of contamination from decades of unsafe lead mining in the region. Mining， processing and smelting of lead was largely unregulated throughout the 20th century， leading to intense amounts of the toxic metal settling in the soils around Kabwe. Though the main mine has been closed， artisanal mining19） still occurs in tailing piles in the city， worsening the problem. Lead blood concentrations in Kabwe have been found in excess of 200 ug/dl—higher than the 120 ug/dl levels that can be fatal. Some progress is being made， however， thanks to a $26 million remediation program carried out between 2003 and 2011.

由于數十年來卡布韋地區的鉛礦開采一直存在安全隱患，當地居民的血鉛濃度比一般認為的可致死濃度高出60%。在整個20世紀，當地的鉛礦開采、加工和冶煉很大程度上處于無序狀態，從而導致卡布韋周邊的土壤中沉淀了大量的有毒金屬。盡管主要的礦井已被關閉，但是城市中尾礦場依舊存在小規模開采，使得環境問題進一步惡化。卡布韋居民的血鉛濃度每分升超過200微克，高于可致死的每分升120微克的濃度。然而，這里的情況正在改善，這主要歸功于2003～2011年期間所開展的一項投入為2600萬美元的整治項目。

Kalimantan， Indonesia 加里曼丹（印度尼西亞）

Central and South Kalimantan have been poisoned by years of small-scale gold mining. The miners use mercury20） in their rudimentary21） smelting process， releasing as much as 1，000 tons of the toxic chemicals into the air each year. Worse， many miners smelt inside their homes， where the mercury vapor22） is trapped. The metal can also be released into area waterways， where it can accumulate in fish and water. A 2008 study found concentrations of mercury in the Kahayan River in central Kalimantan more than twice Indonesias recommended standard. In recent years， however， the Indonesian government has taken steps to limit man-made mercury emissions， working with miners to make their smelting process safer.

加里曼丹的中部和南部地區常年受到小型金礦開采業的污染。礦工們在落后的冶煉過程中使用汞，每年向大氣中排放1000噸有毒化學物質。更糟糕的是，很多礦工在自己家里進行冶煉，導致汞蒸汽存留在室內。金屬汞還被排到當地的河道中，在魚的體內和河水中聚積。2008年的一項研究發現，加里曼丹中部的卡哈陽河中的汞含量比印度尼西亞的建議標準的兩倍還要多。然而近年來，印度尼西亞政府已經采取措施限制人為的汞排放，政府和礦工合作，讓冶煉過程變得更加安全。

1. Blacksmith Institute：布萊克史密斯研究所，又譯為鐵匠研究所，是一家總部位于紐約的環境研究機構。

2. respiratory [r??sp?r?tri] adj. 與呼吸有關的；呼吸系統的

19. artisanal mining：作坊式開采，小礦開采。artisanal [?ɑ?（r）t??z?n?l] adj. 工匠的

20. mercury [?m??kj?ri] n. 水銀，汞

21. rudimentary [?ru?d??mentri] adj. （對某學科的知識或理解）基本的，初步的，粗淺的

22. vapor [?ve?p?] n. 蒸汽；水汽

23. effluent [?eflu?nt] n. 廢水（尤指化學廢液）；污水

24. hydrocarbon [?ha?dr??kɑ?b?n] n. 碳氫化合物，只含有碳和氫的多種有機化合物的一種，如苯和甲烷。

25. carcinogen [kɑ??s?n?d??n] n. 致癌物質

26. sulfur dioxide：二氧化硫

27. particulates [pɑ??t?kj?l?ts] n. [復數] （尤指燃料燃燒時產生的）空氣中對人體有害的微粒

Matanza-Riachuelo， Argentina

An estimated 15，000 industries actively release effluent23） into the Matanza-Riachuelo river basin， which runs through the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires. A 2008 study found that soil on the banks of the river contained levels of zinc， lead， copper， nickel and chromium that were all above recommended values. About 60% of the 20，000 people who reside near the river basin live in territory that has been deemed unsuitable for human habitation， leading to higher levels of diarrheal diseases， respiratory illnesses and cancer. It doesnt help that residents have few sources of drinking water， leaving them dependent on the polluted river. The problem is improving， however， thanks in part to a billion-dollar World Bank-funded effort.

馬坦薩-里亞丘埃洛河流域（阿根廷）

估計有15，000個工廠隨時向馬坦薩-里亞丘埃洛河流域排放廢水，這條河流經阿根廷首都布宜諾斯艾利斯。2008年的一項研究發現，河流兩岸土壤中的鋅、鉛、銅、鎳和鉻的含量均超過建議的數值。馬坦薩-里亞丘埃洛河流域附近有兩萬居民，其中約有60%的人居住的地方被認為不適合人類居住。居住在那里會導致腹瀉類疾病、呼吸系統疾病和癌癥的發病率更高。更糟的是，由于沒有其他飲用水源，當地居民只能依靠這條已被污染的河流。不過，這里的污染正在改善，這要部分歸功于世界銀行所提供的十億美元資助。

Niger River Delta， Nigeria

尼日爾河三角洲（尼日利亞）

The Delta is home to much of Nigerias oil industry—about 2 million barrels of oil are extracted from the area each day—and it has become the site of major pollution from hydrocarbons24）. Between 1976 and 2001 there were nearly 7，000 incidents involving oil spills in which most of the oil was never recovered， and an average of 240，000 barrels a year are spilled into the Niger delta， often because of mechanical failure or oil pirates. The spills contaminate the water， air and land with carcinogens25） like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. A 2013 article estimates that widespread pollution from the spills could have an impact on crops and lead to a 24% increase in childhood malnutrition. Crude oil contamination can also cause infertility and cancer.

尼日爾河三角洲是尼日利亞大部分石油工業的所在地，這一區域每天提煉石油近200萬桶，因此該地受到碳氫化合物的嚴重污染。1976～2001年期間，這里共發生將近7000起石油泄漏事故，其中大部分石油沒有回收。每年平均有24萬桶石油流入尼日爾河三角洲，通常是由機械故障或者石油海盜造成的。泄漏的石油中含有多環芳烴之類的致癌物質，對水、空氣和土地造成了污染。2013年的一篇文章估測，石油泄漏所造成的大面積污染可能影響到農作物，進而導致兒童營養不良的比率上升24%。原油污染還會導致不孕不育癥以及癌癥。

Norilsk， Russia 諾里爾斯克（俄羅斯）

An industrial city in northern Russia founded in 1935， Norilsk contained the worlds largest heavy metals smelting complex as of the early 2000s. Nearly 500 tons each of carbon and nickel oxides， along with 2 million tons of sulfur dioxide26） are released annually into the air. Thats one reason why life expectancy for factory workers in Norilsk is 10 years below the Russian average， which is hardly robust anyway at just 69 years， compared to nearly 79 years in the U.S. Its estimated that over 130，000 local residents are exposed to particulates27） and metal pollution each day， leading to increased levels of respiratory disease and cancer.

位于俄羅斯北部的諾里爾斯克是于1935年建立的工業城市。21世紀初，這里有世界上最大的重金屬冶煉廠。每年有近500噸的碳氧化物、近500噸的鎳氧化物以及200萬噸的二氧化硫排入大氣。這是造成諾里爾斯克的工廠工人的平均壽命比俄羅斯人均壽命短十年的原因之一，而俄羅斯人也不是很長壽，人均壽命只有69歲，相比之下，美國的人均壽命接近79歲。據估測，超過13萬的當地居民每天暴露在顆粒物污染和重金屬污染之下，導致呼吸系統疾病和癌癥的發病率不斷攀升。