Program:
Health and Pollution Fund
- Budget:
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- Category:
-
- Population Served:
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Poor/Economically Disadvantaged, Indigent, General
Program Description:
Blacksmith is currently leading an international effort to create a $500 million public health fund to fight and eliminate legacy pollution in the developing world. The HPF will be the first and only toxic cleanup program to be conducted on a global scale. It will support the cleanup of the world's worst polluted sites identified in the Global Inventory Project.
Program Long-Term Success:
Continued support for ongoing projects in Cambodia, China, Guinea, India, Mozambique, Peru, Russia, Senegal, Tanzania, Thailand, and Zambia. Completed six long-term projects in five countries.
Program Short-Term Success:
HPF will fund the cleanup of some of the world's worst polluted sites
Program Success Monitored by:
Program Success Examples:
See examples of Success Stories: http://www.blacksmithinstitute.org/success-stories.html
Program:
Global Inventory Project
- Budget:
-
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- Category:
-
- Population Served:
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Poor/Economically Disadvantaged, Indigent, General
Program Description:
Blacksmith is building the first comprehensive global inventory of the world's worst polluted places with human health impact. Investigative teams are currently assessing a total of about 3000 polluted sites in more than 60 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.
The Global Inventory Project, which builds on Blacksmith's existing database, will rank sites using the Blacksmith Index. This ranking will guide and prioritize cleanup under the Health and Pollution Fund.
Program Long-Term Success:
Program Short-Term Success:
As of January 2010, one-third of the project has been completed (over 1285 sites in 40 countries have been assessed to date)
Program Success Monitored by:
Program Success Examples:
Program:
Lead Poisoning and Car Batteries Project
- Budget:
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- Category:
-
- Population Served:
-
Poor/Economically Disadvantaged, Indigent, General
Program Description:
Blacksmith is the leading organization
working to clean up lead pollution caused by the improper recycling of used car
batteries. This is one of the worst pollution
problems(http://www.worstpolluted.org/projects_reports/display/65)
in the developing world, one that is growing with consumer
demand for cars. Lead poisons over 12 million people, mainly women and
children. It is the most common environmental disease among children
living in developing countries.
Projects are ongoing in Senegal(http://www.blacksmithinstitute.org/senegal-lead-poisoning-and-car-batteries-project.html) , Dominican Republic(http://www.blacksmithinstitute.org/haina.html) ,
Philippines(http://www.blacksmithinstitute.org/projects/display/27) , Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala and India.
Program Long-Term Success:
Program Short-Term Success:
Program Success Monitored by:
Program Success Examples:
Program:
Artisanal Gold Mining (Mercury Poisoning)
- Budget:
-
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- Category:
-
- Population Served:
-
Poor/Economically Disadvantaged, Indigent, General
Program Description:
Blacksmith
is working with UNIDO's Global Mercury Project in Senegal, Indonesia, Mozambique(http://www.blacksmithinstitute.org/projects/display/2) , and Cambodia(http://www.blacksmithinstitute.org/projects/display/154) .
UNIDO (The United Nations Industrial Development
Organization) estimates that artisanal gold mining results in the
release of an estimated 1,000 tons of toxic mercury per year, which
constitutes about 30% of the world's mercury emissions. At least a
quarter of the world's total gold supply comes from artisanal gold
mining.
Some 15 million gold miners, including 4.5 million
women and 600,000 children, are poisoned by direct contact with toxic
mercury. In addition, mercury rises and travels, dropping into rivers,
oceans and seas, contaminating seafood far and wide.
Program Long-Term Success:
Program Short-Term Success:
Distribution of low-cost mercury recapture retorts to gold miners in Indonesia. This has significantly reduced the amount of mercury pollution.
Program Success Monitored by:
Program Success Examples: