voa慢速英语 Pollution Threatens Health of 200 Million
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from voa learning english, this is science in the news.??i’m june simms.
and i’m faith lapidus.??today we will tell you about a new report on pollution.??it says pollution problems are threatening the health of up to 200 million people worldwide.??we will also report on concerns about dam projects in vietnam.??and we will tell you how some buddhist monks are learning to protect fresh water supplies high in the himalayan mountains.
two independent environmental groups he produced a report listing 10 of the world’s most dangerously-polluted places.??the two are the american-based blacksmith institute and green cross switzerland.??the 10 places are spread over eight countries in africa, asia, eastern europe, and latin america.??the report says open areas polluted by dangerous environmental toxins are threatening the lives of tens of millions of people.
the report says the substances are affecting people through the air they breathe, the food they eat or skin contact.??the toxins include lead, cadmium, chrome, oil, pesticides, phenols, mercury, sarin, radionuclides and organic compounds.
did hanrahan is a technical adviser with the blacksmith institute.??he told voa that four of the places on the list were on his group’s first list, which was released in 2006.
“we he chernobyl -- which is not going to go away, obviously -- in the ukraine.??we he two sites in russia -- which one is a huge smelter, the other is a major chemical complex, which we think used to do a lot of chemical weapons.??we he the mining site in zambia, which i said work has been done to improve.??but, unfortunately, it’s an extremely poor, abandoned place.”
the other areas are in argentina, bangladesh, ghana, indonesia and the niger river delta of nigeria.
did hanrahan notes progress in cleaning up some of world’s most dangerously-polluted places.??for example, he says, the dominican republic was on the first top 10 list because of high levels of lead at a recycling center.??he says the country was removed from the list after the center was cleaned up and made into a playground for children.
mr.??hanrahan is reporting similar successful clean-ups in other places.??they include india and eastern russia, and in some chinese cities, which he reduced air pollution.
he says in the past, experts often underestimated the link b广告een health and the environment.??but he says public health officials in many countries now understand the need to deal with pollution.
“…problems that are, are really of the similar order as the big international public health concerns like tuberculosis and malaria, hiv/aids.??toxic pollution is in many countries the same order of magnitude and that is being recognized, which is one of the things we’re really quite pleased about.”
did hanrahan says more and more governments recognize that environmental pollution is a problem that can be solved.??he says developing countries are seeing improvements in the health of their citizens -- especially among children who are most at risk of getting sick or dying.
policymakers, activists and others gathered recently for talks about water, food and energy in the mekong river basin.??the discussions took place in vietnam’s capital, hanoi.
over the past three years, work crews he been building the xayaburi dam in laos.??the dam is one of the most controversial hydropower projects in the mekong.??it has tested the strength of the mekong river commission, which represents laos, cambodia, thailand and vietnam.
some countries say the dam could affect fish populations downriver from the dam.??but work on the project has continued.
a fisherman works near the site of the proposed xayaburi dam in laos.a fisherman works near the site of the proposed xayaburi dam in laos.
hans guttman is the chief ex[收起]
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