| Ancient Egyptians had its own share of plagues. | | | | which is still prohibitively expensive, a still rampant |
| But those that had come to them did not last. | | | | lack of environmental consciousness, and the fact |
| The modern world has vicious and more | | | | that these countries are still struggling for bare |
| dangerous ones. Mankind is fast losing rivers, lakes | | | | survival, implementation of environmental |
| and oceans to harmful chemicals. Some rivers, | | | | legislations have been very difficult. Third world |
| lakes, seas, and oceans are now saturated with | | | | countries need support from the developed |
| chemicals beyond the upper limits recommended | | | | countries that may not be willing to spend so |
| by World Health Organization. They are saturated | | | | much of their tax payer's money even in their |
| with chemicals like Zinc, Copper, Lead, Cadmium | | | | own countries on cleaner production technologies. |
| and Mercury from industries. And raw or poorly | | | | Some of the first world countries are instead |
| treated sewage have also found their way into | | | | worsening situations in some third world countries. |
| rivers. | | | | Despite Basel convention, and intergovernmental |
| Mr. Henry Ndede, a programme coordinator at | | | | UN treaty on handling of toxic chemicals banning |
| UNEP, while commenting on the clean-up exercise | | | | damping of chemicals in the third world, dumping |
| of Nairobi River and its basin, said that it would be | | | | continue to happen. Basel Action Network (BAN), |
| difficult to clean up the river to the extent that | | | | a Seattle based toxic trade watchdog have |
| their water would be used for drinking. He said | | | | stated that some first world countries are |
| that cleaning may reclaim the rivers for | | | | involved in notorious schemes which allowed the |
| recreation, car washing and fire fighting purposes. | | | | export of hazardous wastes to some of the |
| No more water for drinking, cooking, bathing, | | | | poorest countries on earth. BAN gave an example |
| washing, and irrigation! | | | | of dumping of toxic incinerator ash by sea side in |
| Nairobi river and its basin flows through the city | | | | Haiti, shipping of hazardous waste materials as |
| of Nairobi before joining another river to form | | | | fertilizers to Bangladesh by Stoller Chemical |
| Athi River, which flows through some rather dry | | | | Company and ship scrapping of ships in India that |
| land occupied by pastoralists and farmers before | | | | exposes shipscrapping workers to dangerous |
| reaching Indian Ocean. People downstream use | | | | PCBs and Asbestos. |
| the water and no one is sounding an alarm. They | | | | The chemicals in Haiti ash dump, Bangladesh |
| use the water for their domestic needs, to graze | | | | hazardous waste materials, PCB, and Asbestos |
| their livestock and for irrigation. The livestock and | | | | from shipscrapping in India obviously found their |
| the crops are food for the farmers and other | | | | way into water, pausing danger to humans, plants |
| people in Kenya and around the world, yet they | | | | and animals. According to BAN and scientific |
| may have traces of chemicals. If Nairobi River | | | | knowledge, Cadmium and Lead present in the ash |
| and its basins carry chemicals way above World | | | | is known to contribute to neurological damage, |
| Health Organization safety levels, then the river | | | | lung and bone disorders, birth defects and other |
| down-stream upto Indian-Ocean is not safe. So to | | | | health problems. The hazardous waste materials |
| other rivers. Other sources of chemicals in water | | | | shipped to Bangladesh also contained hazardous |
| bodies come from toxic chemicals carried and | | | | levels of lead and Cadmium. And to make the |
| dumped near water, oil spills, ship scrapping, and | | | | situation even worse, third world countries are |
| nuclear testing, and chemical accidents. | | | | producing relatively low chemical wastes, yet they |
| Though many third world countries have signed | | | | are unable to prevent them from finding their |
| and ratified UN laws concerning chemicals and the | | | | way into water. If toxic chemicals from |
| environment, and are busy coming up with | | | | developed countries are dumped in the third world |
| rigorous regulations and trying to implement them, | | | | countries, third world countries would just grumble. |
| they are finding it difficult. With lack of technology, | | | | |