Photo by Giles Thomas, Flickr
The 10 most polluted places on Earth consist of some that you would expect, such as Chernobyl and Bhopal, India and some that you wouldn’t, such as the Arctic. But
Reading about the 10 most polluted places on Earth will inspire you to do several things:
1. Don’t purchase no-stick products
No stick cooking products like frying pans and cookie sheets are coated with PFOA’s, which persist in the environment and collect in Arctic environments, where they devastate Arctic animal populations and work their way up the food chain to harm the health of the Inuit people. Not to mention that a frying pan coated with PFOA’s can have negative health effects for you too.
2. Avoid cheap items made in China
They may contain lead. Tianying is one of the worst areas in the world for lead poisoning. Small leadmaking operations in this area frequently disobey regulations and put worker’s lives at risk.
3. Buy Fair Trade Gold
Mercury poisoning is endemic in Central Kalimantan province in Indonesia, where small artisanal gold producers use it in small-scale gold mining operations. Fair trade gold can be found at companies online such as Brilliant Earth, and while it may be a bit pricier than regular gold, you can be assured that it is mined in a fair and ethical manner. You can’t say that about gold earrings you find on sale at Wal-Mart.
4. Consider the Human Cost of any product
Any product you buy has a cost to humanity. Think about a $6.00 steak dinner. Many cost-conscious people would be happy to have a $6.00 steak dinner. But think about the system that allows meat to be sold so cheaply that you can enjoy a steak dinner for $6.00. What chemicals and hormones are going into that meat? How are the workers treated in the slaughterhouses? Probably not that well if you’re only paying $6.00 for your steak.The same logic applies to other products. Can a pair of $20 gold earrings be made from gold that is mined in an ethical manner? Can a toy costing $5.00 be guaranteed to not contain lead, especially if it is manufactured in China, where regulations are frequently ignored surrounding lead?
