29 Most Toxic Places On Earth

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Appalachia, West Virginia

Source: https://scx1.b-cdn.net/

Hundreds of thousands of square miles of Appalachian land face the consequences of mining, with machines and explosives destroying mountain peaks to obtain coal. Decades of mining discharged toxins into the land and water, and more than 40% of West Virginia’s rivers are too polluted to be safely used for drinking and other forms of recreation. Mining, raw sewage, and industrial waste have contaminated bodies of water to a level too poisoned to support healthy aquatic life. Mining coal with high levels of selenium have severely affected surrounding streams. Exposure to and absorption of much higher levels of selenium can cause liver, kidney, and heart problems, and can possibly lead to death. Unless mining of these coal seams and selenium pollution are prevented, a lifetime of expensive treatment is required to save the freshwater ecosystems encompassing the land.