Dead Zone

The Blacksmith Institute, an environmental group, has its 2007 list for most polluted places in the world. In no particular order they are as follows: Sumgayit, Azerbaijan; Linfen, China; Tianying, China; Sukinda, India; Vapi, India; La Oroya, Peru; Dzerzhinsk, Russia; Norilsk, Russia; Chernobyl, Ukraine; Kabwe, Zambia.

Approximately 12 million people are affected in total. The severe pollution in these areas is due primarily to chemical, metal and mining industries. These are areas where chronic illness, premature deaths, genetic mutations, and birth defects are common.