Hazaribagh, Bangladesh is the 5th most poisonous place on earth.
Local residents in Hazaribagh are at risk of exposure to cancer-causing hexavalent chromium, and other skin and respiratory diseases. Up to 95% of the registered tanneries in Bangladesh are located in and around Hazaribagh. The tanneries collectively dump 22,000 cubic litres of toxic waste, including cancer-causing hexavalent chromium, into the Buriganga , Dhaka's main river every day.
Dzerzhinsk, Russia is the 4th most poisonous place on earth.
The water is contaminated with dioxins and phenol at levels that are reportedly seventeen million times the safe limit. Between 1930 and 1998, more than 300,000 tons of chemical waste was dumped in Dzerzhinsk . 190 different chemicals have since leached into the city’s groundwater, making it one of the worst-polluted cities of the world. The life expectancy in this city ranges from 42 years for men to 47 years for women.
Citarum River, Indonesia is the 3rd most poisonous place on earth.
Water in the Citarum River has concentrations of manganese that are nearly four times the recommended levels. The Citarum is the third longest river in Java, but it has been called the world's most polluted river. A range of contaminants are present in the river, from both industrial and domestic sources. The river makes up around 80 percent of the surface water available, hence affecting the 5 million people who depend on it.
Chernobyl, Ukraine is the 2nd most poisonous place on earth.
Radioactive dust including uranium, plutonium, and other metals continue to plague the 19-mile exclusion zone around the nuclear plant. Chernobyl is recognized as one of the worst nuclear disasters in history after the Chernobyl Nuclear power plant accident in 1986. Once home to more than 14,000 residents, the city today is mostly a ghost town.
Agbogbloshie, Ghana is the most poisonous place on earth.
Lead levels in this area are estimated to be 50 times the US standard for lead in soil. Agbogbloshie is the second largest e-waste processing area in West Africa. E-waste , or electronic waste, contains toxic chemicals that are emitted into the ground, water and atmosphere when the electronics are broken down, burned and processed.