Living in the Vaal Triangle: The most polluted place on EarthThe region of South Africa regularly registers the highest levels of harmful particulate emissions on the planetBy Antony Sguazzin / BloombergJust southeast of Johannesburg, in a South African region known as the Vaal Triangle, 1.7 million people are living in a crossfire of some of the most dangerous pollution on Earth. Illustration: YushaThe toxins are causing hundreds of premature deaths every year across the Vaal Triangle and respiratory disease for many of those still breathing. In the mid-2000s, it declared the area as the Vaal Triangle Airshed Priority Area, the first zone in which it would make a concentrated effort to lower air pollution. It slashed particulate emissions by 87 percent since 2007 by suppressing dust and replacing old coal-burning equipment, ArcelorMittal said. In an area of the world as polluted as the Vaal Triangle, it could be difficult to see any positive changes on the horizon.

Source: Taipei Times March 04, 2024 16:44 UTC