Toxic Hotspots Require Global Superfund (Stephen Leahy)

Nov. 11, 2010 -- UXBRIDGE, Canada (Inter Press Service) -- One of the world's biggest health threats is also one of the least recognised -- more than 100 million people who literally breathe and eat toxic pollutants like lead, mercury, chromium every day, according to the first-ever detailed assessment.

By contrast, global attention and billions of dollars are focused on AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, which affect comparable numbers of people.

"Toxic pollution has been under the radar screen of most governments for some time," said Stephan Robinson of Green Cross Switzerland, a group focused on environmental health, and co-author of the assessment titled "World's Worst Pollution Problems Report 2010."

"These pollution problems can be dealt with affordably and effectively," Robinson told IPS.

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