• Source: Pure Earth

Pure Earth is a New York City-based international not-for-profit organization founded in 1999 that works to identify, clean up, and solve pollution problems in low- and middle-income countries, where high concentrations of toxic pollution have devastating health impacts, especially on children. These communities suffer disproportionately from pollution-related diseases. Pure Earth remains the only significant organization of its kind working to solve pollution on a global scale.
Pure Earth's work focuses on two key pollutants: lead and mercury.
The Global Lead Program works on reducing lead poisoning from three key sources poisoning millions of children in low- and middle-income countries: the unsafe and informal recycling of used lead-acid (car) batteries; lead-glazed pottery, and contaminated spices.
The Global Mercury Program works to reduce mercury from artisanal and small scale gold mining communities around the world by training miners to go mercury free, and helping miners in the Amazon rainforest restore land damaged by mining.
Pure Earth is known for the Toxic Sites Identification Program, a global movement to find and clean up the world’s most toxic sites. The program has trained over 500 pollution investigators and 90 government representatives worldwide, who have identified and mapped over 5000 toxic hotspots in communities around the world. The data they collect has built an “unprecedented public database of toxic sites” that helps local communities and governments plan clean up to protect residents.
Pure Earth is also known for initiating the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution, which in turn led to the formation of The Lancet Commission on pollution and health and the publication of the groundbreaking report from the Lancet Commission on health and pollution which concludes that pollution is the largest environmental cause of death in the world today, killing three times more people than AIDS/HIV, tuberculosis and malaria combined, and 15 times more deaths and war and other forms of violence.
In 2015, Pure Earth helped to successfully advocate for broadening the scope of toxic pollution addressed in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In 2020, Pure Earth and UNICEF issued an urgent call to protect 800 million children poisoned by lead, following the publication of their joint report: The Toxic Truth: Children’s exposure to lead pollution undermines a generation of potential. The report revealed that lead poisoning is affecting children on a massive and previously unknown scale – one in three children globally have elevated blood lead levels, and nearly half of them live in South Asia.
Pure Earth has been recognized by Charity Navigator as one of the United States' top performing nonprofits.
Pure Earth was formerly known as the Blacksmith Institute, which was recognized for a series of World's Worst Pollution Problems reports that first brought attention to the global pollution problem.[1]




Pollution: Largest Environmental Cause of Death In The World Today


In 2017, Pure Earth President Richard Fuller and Dr. Philip Landrigan, serving as co-chairs of the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, issued an open letter, and presided over the release of the landmark report from the Commission, which confirmed that pollution is the largest environmental cause of disease and premature death in the world today—causing 3x more deaths than HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria combined, and 15x more deaths than wars and all forms of violence.
The report's findings made headlines around the world. The Washington Post's editorial concluded that "The Lancet study should remind leaders in the United States and elsewhere that, though there are costs associated with restricting pollution, countries also incur costs by failing to do so." Fareed Zakaria issued a passionate commentary about pollution's deadly global impact.
The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health is an initiative of The Lancet, the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (for which Pure Earth serves as Secretariat), and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, with additional coordination and input from United Nations Environment, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and the World Bank.




Toxic Sites Identification Program


Pure Earth's Toxic Site Identification Program (TSIP) works to identify and screen contaminated sites in low- and middle-income countries where public health is at risk. Pure Earth has trained more than 400 toxic sites investigators around the world to find, map and assess polluted sites that pose health risks in their communities. To date, TSIP investigators have identified more than 3,100 sites in over 50 countries. These sites alone represent a potential health risk to more than 80 million poor people.
The data collected by TSIP investigators is entered into Pure Earth's database of polluted sites, the largest database of its kind. This information is made accessible to governments so that they can formulate plans to prioritize action on pollution that poses the most risk to populations.
The public can view the data at pollution.org




The Global Alliance on Health and Pollution


In July 2012, Pure Earth convened a third meeting of world leaders and experts on pollution at the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center in Italy. The Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAPH) was formed that year by Pure Earth, the World Bank, UNEP, UNDP, UNIDO, Asian Development Bank, the European Commission, Ministries of Environment and Health of many low- and middle-income countries to address pollution and health at scale. Blacksmith serves as Secretariat for the GAHP. Blacksmith began coordinating an international effort to create a global alliance in 2008. The effort was formerly called the Health and Pollution Fund.




Journal Of Health and Pollution


Published by Pure Earth, the Journal of Health and Pollution (JH&P) is a quarterly on-line journal of peer reviewed research and news. JH&P is grant funded by the World Bank and the European Union. There are no charges to readers or authors. JH&P aims to facilitate discussion of toxic pollution, impacts to human health and strategies for site remediation. The journal focuses on work by researchers from or about under-represented low- and middle-income countries.




Key projects


RMS Rapid Market Screenings:[2]- In 2021, Pure Earth launched an ambitious project to analyze the lead (Pb) content in thousands of products and food samples in markets across 25 low- and middle-income countries. The Rapid Market Screening (RMS) project is the first analysis of its kind that we are aware of. The RMS project follows the 2020 publication of The Toxic Truth report by Pure Earth and UNICEF, which revealed for the first time that an estimated 800 million children, or 1 in 3, have blood lead levels indicative of lead poisoning (>5 μg/dl).
Mexico: Barro Aprobado - Research shows nearly half the children in Mexico are impacted by lead poisoning from traditional pottery glazed with lead that is used in many homes and restaurants in Mexico. The Barro Aprobado project is raising public awareness about the dangers of leaded pottery, and promoting the use and production of lead-free pottery.
Azerbaijan: Cleanup of infamous pesticide site in Salyan.
Zambia: Lead remediation in Kabwe, sometimes called the world's most toxic town.
Mongolia: Training artisanal miners to go mercury free. Over 1000 miners have been trained to date.
Ukraine – Cleanup of former Soviet arms site, filled with highly toxin chemicals and explosives, as chronicled in Bloomberg Businessweek
Nigeria: In 2011, Pure Earth received a Green Star Award for emergency work during the Nigeria lead poisoning crisis in Zamfara.
Armenia: Cleanup of 10th century historical site.




= Other highlights

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In October 2022, Pure Earth’s Founder and President Richard Fuller was included in the #FuturePerfect50 list from Vox, recognizing “The scientists, thinkers, scholars, writers, and activists building a more perfect future.”
In 2010, Pure Earth's impact was charted in a profile of its founder Richard Fuller in Time's "Power of One" column.
2015 saw the release of the book The Brown Agenda.
In 2019, Pure Earth released the report Pollution Knows No Borders: How the Pollution Crisis in Low- and Middle-Income Countries Affects Everyone’s Health, and What We Can Do to Address It.




Name change


Pure Earth was founded as the Blacksmith Institute in 1999.
In 2014, Blacksmith launched a new initiative – Blacksmith Institute for a Pure Earth – with English actor Dev Patel as celebrity ambassador. Patel worked closely with Blacksmith to suggest the new name, and will help support efforts to raise awareness about toxic pollution, an issue he says he first grew aware of after filming in India. Blacksmith will slowly transition to a new name – Pure Earth – with the aim of broadening awareness of global toxic pollution issues to the general public.




World's Worst Polluted Places reports


For over a decade, Pure Earth's World’s Worst Pollution Problems reports identified and drew attention to the worst, and most dangerously polluted places on the planet, while documenting and quantifying the startling health and environmental impacts of this neglected problem. The series of reports succeeded in raising global awareness about the extent and impacts of toxic pollution in low- and middle-income countries. All reports are archived at http://worstpolluted.org




= 2016 report: The Toxics Beneath Our Feet (Top Polluting Industries)

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Used Lead Acid Battery (ULAB) Recycling
Mining and Ore Processing
Lead Smelters
Tanneries
Artisanal Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM)
Industrial Dumpsites
Industrial Estates
Chemical Manufacturing
Product Manufacturing
Dye Industry




= 2015 report: Top Six Toxic Threats

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Lead
Radionuclides
Mercury
Chromium
Pesticides
Cadmium




= 2014 report: Top Ten Countries Turning The Corner on Toxic Pollution

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(Not ranked, listed by region.)

Ghana, Agbogbloshie
Senegal, Thiaroye Sur Mer
Peru
Uruguay, Montevideo
Mexico, Mexico City
Indonesia, Cinangka
Philippines, Marilao, Meycauayan and Obando River System
Vietnam, Dong Mai
Former Soviet Union
Kyrgyzstan, Mailuu-Suu
Also China, India and Madagascar




= 2013 report: Top Ten Toxic Threats in 2013: Cleanup, Progress, and Ongoing Challenges

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The World's Worst Polluted Places in 2013 (unranked):

Agbogbloshie, Ghana
Chernobyl*, Ukraine
Citarum River, Indonesia
Dzerzhinsk, Russia*
Hazaribagh Thana, Bangladesh
Kabwe*, Zambia
Kalimantan, Indonesia
Matanza River, Argentina
Niger River Delta, Nigeria
Norilsk*, Russia
(*included in the original 2006 or 2007 lists)




= 2012 report: The Top Ten Sources by Global Burden of Disease

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Battery recycling
Lead smelting
Mining and Ore processing
Tanneries
Industrial/Municipal Dumpsites
Industrial estates
Artisanal Gold mining
Product manufacturing
Chemical manufacturing
Dye industry




= 2011 report: The Top Ten of the Toxic Twenty

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Top Ten Worst Toxic Pollution Problems:

Artisanal Gold Mining – Mercury
Industrial Estates – Lead
Agricultural Production- Pesticides
Lead Smelting – Lead
Tannery Operation – Chromium
Mining and Ore Processing – Mercury
Mining and Ore Processing – Lead
Lead-Acid Battery Recycling – Lead
Naturally Occurring Arsenic in Ground Water – Arsenic
Pesticide Manufacturing and Storage – Pesticide




= 2010 report: Top Six Toxic Threats

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The report identifies and quantifies the impacts of the most damaging toxic pollutants. The Top Six Toxic Threats are:

Lead
Mercury
Chromium
Arsenic
Pesticides
Radionuclides




= 2009 report: 12 Cases of Cleanup and Success

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The report lists 10 programs, unranked, as examples of successful efforts to reduce the toll of pollution on human health. It also includes two initiatives with worldwide impact.

Improving indoor air – Accra, Ghana
Preventing mining pollution – Candelaria, Chile
Lowering radioactivity – Chernobyl, Ukraine
Cleaning urban air – Delhi, India
Removing lead – Haina, Dominican Republic
Recapturing mercury – Kalimantan, Indonesia
Reducing lead – Rudnaya Pristan, Russia
Removing DDT – Old Korogwe, Tanzania
Restoring a waterway – Shanghai, China
Removing arsenic – West Bengal, India
Phasing out leaded gasoline – Worldwide
Ending chemical weapons – Worldwide




= 2008 report: Top Ten World's Worst Pollution Problems

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Artisanal Gold Mining
Contaminated Surface Water
Indoor Air Pollution
Industrial Mining Activities
Groundwater Contamination
Metals Smelting and Processing
Radioactive Waste and Uranium Mining
Untreated Sewage
Urban Air Quality
Used Lead Acid Battery Recycling




= 2006 and 2007 reports: Top Ten World's Worst Polluted Places

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As of September 2007, the Institute lists the following as the world's ten most polluted places (in alphabetical order by country):

Sumqayit, Azerbaijan
Linfen, China
Tianying, China
Sukinda, India
Vapi, India (Update: Removed from list due to significant improvements)
La Oroya, Peru
Dzerzhinsk, Russia
Norilsk, Russia
Chernobyl, Ukraine
Kabwe, Zambia



Also mentioned

Godwin, Kenya
Matanza, Argentina
Hazaribagh Thana, Bangladesh
DongYangHuaxi, China
Lanzhou, China
Urumqi, China
Wanshan, China
Haina, Dominican Republic
Oriente, Ecuador
Mahad Industrial Estate, India
Ranipet, India
Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan
Mailuu-Suu, Kyrgyzstan
Mexico City, Mexico
Huancavelica, Peru
Meycauayan, Philippines
Marilao, Philippines
Bratsk, Russia
Chita, Russia
Magnitogorsk, Russia
Rudnaya Pristan, Russia




References






External links


Official website
World's Worst Polluted Places Reports

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Pure Noise Records
• Desi Sangye Gyatso
• Michael Aris
• X (media sosial)
• Kelimpahan unsur dalam kerak Bumi
• Unplanned
• Tabel kelarutan
• Dinasti Safawiyah
• Juukou B-Fighter
• Gempa bumi dan tsunami Samudra Hindia 2004
• Pure Earth
• Three Pure Ones
• Richard Fuller (environmentalist)
• Turbah
• Pollution
• Pure Land Buddhism
• Lead–acid battery
• Pure abodes
• Alkaline earth metal
• Meycauayan