Industrial lead soil pollution

Picture Taken from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUX9kd2VjyA

While researching on lead pollution, I came across this YouTube video – ‘Asian Children Suffering from LEAD POISONING Due to Years of ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION’. It depicts the city of Shymkent, South Kazakhstan which is the 3^rd largest city and home to 600, 000 people with declining heavy industries. It suffered from environmental abuse under the Soviet Union and then subsequently the MNCs. As a result of pollution, researchers and urban regenerators have found that the lead in soils are more than 2000ppm, which is about 70 times the legal limit of 30ppm.

This lead came from the lead smelter – lead production plant built in 1934, which was used by S.U. for producing bullets. The plant does not have infrastructure for lead pollution prevention, releasing leaded fumes into atmosphere which is eventually deposited and accumulated in soils, posing extreme levels of lead poisoning to the surrounding suburban area. The children there have borne the brunt of lead poisoning, with growth stunned and intelligence dulled.

It has been closed down, but Kazakhmys, UK-registered copper mining company whose main assets are located in Kazakhstan, has been suspected of running the plant for the final few years. However, they have denied their operations in the plant and the company A Mega Trading, a subsidiary under Kazakhmys, has been traced to be in contract with the smelting plant. Until now, the company has not been subjected to environmental and health liabilities despite vidence that they did pollute the environment and harm the health of Shymkent children (Mayne, 2014). However, as the company only rented the place and supplied raw materials to the plant, they denied that the lead pollution was a result of their activities. In addition, the secrecy of the ultimate beneficial owners of Kazakhmys made it difficult for authorities to trace responsibility and liabilities.

Although there is no data to confirm whether the lead pollution in Shymkent is due to Kazakhmys or previous users or owners, they all have to assume responsibility of risking the possibility of increasing the already lead polluted environment.

Lead pollution in Shymknet calls for the need for better policing of lead pollution. Communities should step in to request for business transparency and environment reports, especially when they locate or utilise industrial plants are within close proximity. Governments should tighten their reign over their businesses, increase business transparency and fight for their environmental and pollution rights. Given the hazardous effects of lead pollution and its potential detrimental health impacts, there is a need give paramount attention to the lead pollution and its accumulated amounts in soils.

Reference

Mayne, T. (2014) Questions remain for Kazakhmys plc over ownership of poisonous smelter. Online. Available at: http://www.globalwitness.org/blog/questions-remain-for-kazakhmys-plc-over-ownership-of-poisonous-smelter/

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUX9kd2VjyA