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Blacksmith Institute
Formation	1999
Type	International NGO
Location	New York City, New York;
President	Richard Fuller
Website	www.blacksmithinstitute.org

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Founded in 1999, Blacksmith Institute is an international non-for-profit organization dedicated to eliminating life-threatening pollution in the developing world. Blacksmith identifies and cleans up the world's worst polluted places, focusing on communities where children are most at risk. Based in New York, Blacksmith has completed over 50 cleanup projects around the world. Blacksmith is currently engaged in over 30 projects in 15 countries.

In 2011 Blacksmith was recognized with the UN-backed Green Star Award for its work in environmental emergencies. In 2010, Blacksmith's work was profiled in Time magazine's Power of One column and in April 2012, nationally syndicated columnist Georgie Anne Geyer wrote about Blacksmith in "Heroic NGO Takes on Big Job of Global Toxic Cleanup."

Blacksmith Institute has been recognized as one of the country’s top performing nonprofits, earning a 4 star charity rating, the highest rating from Charity Navigator, the country’s leading independent charity evaluator.

Blacksmith is known for its annual World's Worst Polluted Places Reports, for the creation of the Blacksmith Index (used around the world to rate levels of health risk from pollution), and for the Blacksmith database, the only resource of its kind, which currently documents over 600 of the world's worst polluted places. This Polluted Places Initiative identifies polluted sites throughout the world by means of an online nomination process.^[1]

Blacksmith is currently expanding their database with the Global Toxic Sites Identification Program, formerly known as Global Inventory Project. Blacksmith investigators are assessing polluted hotspots in over 60 countries to build the first comprehensive global inventory of the world's worst polluted places with human health impact. The sites identified in this global inventory will be targeted for cleanup under a global alliance.

Blacksmith serves as Secretariat of the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution.

The GAHP (Global Alliance on Health and Pollution)

In July 2012, Blacksmith convened a third meeting of world leaders and experts on pollution at the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center in Italy to develop an action plan to tackle toxic pollution in low- and middle-income countries. The newly-formed Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP) is the first alliance of its kind to respond to the threat of toxic pollution on a worldwide scale. Blacksmith serves as Secretariat for the GAHP, which is supported by the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and UNIDO, among other agencies. Blacksmith began coordinating an international effort to create a global alliance in 2008. The effort was formerly called the Health and Pollution Fund.

Blacksmith Success Stories

Below are some examples of successful interventions

Cleanup of the Marilao-Meycauayan-Obando River system in the Philippines, polluted with heavy metals from industrial waste.
Cleanup of Haina in the Dominican Republic, a city that has been referred to as the Dominican Chernobyl because of its excessive levels of lead pollution.
Reduction of toxic mercury emissions from artisanal gold mining in Manica, Mozambique.
Establishing Air Quality Plan for Cambodia.
Lead gasoline phase out in Senegal.
Lead Pollution in Kabwe, Zambia.
Cleanup of groundwater pollution in Kanpur, India.
Cleanup of an estimated 3,000 tons of hazardous industrial wastes in Muthia village, Ahmedabad City, India.
Removal of radioactive waste in Krasnoufimsk in the Central Urals, Russia.
Remediation of arsenic mines in Wenshan, China.
Remediation of old uranium mining sites in Romanovka Village, Russia.

World's Worst Polluted Places Reports

Since 2006, Blacksmith Institute's yearly reports have been instrumental in increasing public understanding of the health impacts posed by the world's worst polluted places, and in some cases, have compelled cleanup work at these sites. Previous reports have identified the top ten world's worst polluted places or pollution problems. The 2009 report focuses on 12 Cases of Cleanup and Success. Blacksmith reports have been issued jointly with Green Cross Switzerland since 2007. Read or download reports at www.worstpolluted.org [1]

2012 report: The Top Ten Sources by Global Burden of Disease

Battery Recycling
Lead Smelting
Mining and Ore Processing
Tanneries
Industrial/Municipal Dumpsites
Industrial Estates
Artisanal Gold Mining
Product Manufacturing
Chemical Manufacturing
Dye Industry

2011 report: The Top Ten of the Toxic Twenty

The report lists the worst toxic pollution problems according to human health impact. The evaluation is based on data collected by the Blacksmith Institute and the Swiss Green Cross.

2010 report: Top Six Toxic Threats

The report identifies and quantifies the impacts of the most damaging toxic pollutants. The Top Six Toxic Threats are:

Lead
Mercury
Chromium
Arsenic
Pesticides
Radionuclides

2009 report: 12 Cases of Cleanup and Success

The report lists 10 programs, unranked, as examples of successful efforts to reduce the toll of pollution on human health. It also includes two initiatives with worldwide impact.^{[citation needed]}

Improving indoor air - Accra, Ghana
Preventing mining pollution - Candelaria, Chile
Lowering radioactivity - Chernobyl, Ukraine
Cleaning urban air - Delhi, India
Removing lead - Haina, Dominican Republic
Recapturing mercury - Kalimantan, Indonesia
Reducing lead - Rudnaya Pristan, Russia
Removing DDT - Old Korogwe, Tanzania
Restoring a waterway - Shanghai, China
Removing arsenic - West Bengal, India
Phasing out leaded gasoline - Worldwide
Ending chemical weapons - Worldwide

2008 report: Top Ten World's Worst Pollution Problems

Artisanal Gold Mining
Contaminated Surface Water
Indoor Air Pollution
Industrial Mining Activities
Groundwater Contamination
Metals Smelting and Processing
Radioactive Waste and Uranium Mining
Untreated Sewage
Urban Air Quality
Used Lead Acid Battery Recycling

2006 and 2007 reports: Top Ten World's Worst Polluted Places

As of September 2007, the Institute lists the following as the world's ten most polluted places (in alphabetical order by country):^[2]

Sumqayit, Azerbaijan
Linfen, China
Tianying, China
Sukinda, India
Vapi, India (Update: Removed from list due to significant improvements ^[3])
La Oroya, Peru
Dzerzhinsk, Russia
Norilsk, Russia
Chernobyl, Ukraine
Kabwe, Zambia

Also mentioned

The Institute has operated in China since 2002.^[4]

World's "Dirty 30"

In its 2007 report, The World’s Worst Polluted Places issued on September 16, the Blacksmith Institute included Meycauayan and Marilao in Bulacan, Philippines, in the list of the world’s thirty most polluted places in the developing world.The World’s Worst Polluted Places It stated: "Industrial waste is haphazardly dumped into the Marilao, Meycauayan, and Obando River system, a source of drinking and agricultural water supplies for the 250,000 people living in and around” the Meycauayan-Marilao area."^[5]

How Blacksmith Works

Blacksmith works cooperatively around the world in partnerships that include governments, the international community, NGOs and local agencies to design and implement innovative, low-cost pollution solutions that save lives. Blacksmith provides strategic, technical, and financial support to local champions working for the betterment of their communities. ^{[citation needed]}

The priority of Blacksmith is to work in locations throughout the developing world where human health is most affected by pollution. Its programs involve a multi-step process that includes:

identifying polluted places in the developing world with nominations received from members of the international community and through the internet;
assessing the health risks at those locations;
and designing and implementing a remediation strategy tailored to the specifics of the site in question, using local champions to implement the project in a cooperative fashion.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ Harvey, Fiona (2007-09-12). "Planet's most polluted sites unveiled". The Financial Times.
^ "World's Worst Polluted Places 2007". The Blacksmith Institute. September 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-13.
^ The World's Top Ten Toxic Pollution Problems 2009, Blacksmith Institute (pdf p. 17) retrieved 21 May 2012.
^ China Development Brief: Directory of International NGOs
^ Inquirer.net, Meycauayan, Marilao in world’s ‘Dirty 30’-- report

External links

News

[1] Harvey, Fiona (2007-09-12). "Planet's most polluted sites unveiled". The Financial Times.

[2] "World's Worst Polluted Places 2007". The Blacksmith Institute. September 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-13.

[3] The World's Top Ten Toxic Pollution Problems 2009, Blacksmith Institute (pdf p. 17) retrieved 21 May 2012.

[4] China Development Brief: Directory of International NGOs

[5] Inquirer.net, Meycauayan, Marilao in world’s ‘Dirty 30’-- report

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@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 In 2011 Blacksmith was recognized with the UN-backed [http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=38428&Cr=disaster&Cr1=risk Green Star Award] for its work in environmental emergencies. In 2010, Blacksmith's work was profiled in [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2024212,00.html Time magazine's Power of One] column and in April 2012, nationally syndicated columnist Georgie Anne Geyer wrote about Blacksmith in [http://www.uexpress.com/georgieannegeyer/?uc_full_date=20120416 "Heroic NGO Takes on Big Job of Global Toxic Cleanup."]
+Blacksmith Institute has been recognized as one of the country’s top performing nonprofits, earning a [http://www.blacksmithinstitute.org/charity-navigator-awards-blacksmith-its-highest-rating.html 4 star charity rating], the highest rating from Charity Navigator, the country’s leading independent charity evaluator.
 Blacksmith is known for its annual [http://www.worstpolluted.org World's Worst Polluted Places Reports], for the creation of the ''Blacksmith Index'' (used around the world to rate levels of health risk from pollution), and for the ''Blacksmith database'', the only resource of its kind, which currently documents over 600 of the world's worst polluted places. This ''Polluted Places Initiative'' identifies polluted sites throughout the world by means of an online nomination process.<ref>{{cite news
@@ Line 24: / Line 26: @@
 }}</ref>
-Blacksmith is currently expanding their database with the Global Toxic Site Identification Program, formerly known as  [http://www.blacksmithinstitute.org/blacksmith-institute-to-lead-global-inventory-of-polluted-sites.html Global Inventory Project]. Blacksmith investigators are assessing polluted hotspots in over 60 countries to build the first comprehensive global inventory of the world's worst polluted places with human health impact. The sites identified in this global inventory will be targeted for cleanup under a global alliance.
+Blacksmith is currently expanding their database with the Global Toxic Sites Identification Program, formerly known as  [http://www.blacksmithinstitute.org/blacksmith-institute-to-lead-global-inventory-of-polluted-sites.html Global Inventory Project]. Blacksmith investigators are assessing polluted hotspots in over 60 countries to build the first comprehensive global inventory of the world's worst polluted places with human health impact. The sites identified in this global inventory will be targeted for cleanup under a global alliance.
+Blacksmith serves as Secretariat of the [[GAHP (Global Alliance on Health and Pollution)|Global Alliance on Health and Pollution]].
 ==The GAHP (Global Alliance on Health and Pollution)==
-In  July 2012, Blacksmith convened [http://www.blacksmithinstitute.org/blog/?p=1025 a third meeting of world leaders] and experts on pollution at the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center in Italy to develop an action plan to tackle toxic pollution in low- and middle-income countries.  The newly-formed [http://www.blacksmithinstitute.org/new-global-alliance-seeks-to-tackle-toxic-pollution-hotspots.html Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP)] is the first alliance of its kind to respond to the threat of toxic pollution on a worldwide scale. The GAHP is coordinated by Blacksmith Institute, and supported by the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and UNIDO, among other agencies. Blacksmith began coordinating an international effort to create a global alliance in 2008.  The effort was formerly called the [http://www.hpfund.org Health and Pollution Fund].
+In  July 2012, Blacksmith convened [http://www.blacksmithinstitute.org/blog/?p=1025 a third meeting of world leaders] and experts on pollution at the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center in Italy to develop an action plan to tackle toxic pollution in low- and middle-income countries.  The newly-formed [http://www.blacksmithinstitute.org/new-global-alliance-seeks-to-tackle-toxic-pollution-hotspots.html Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP)] is the first alliance of its kind to respond to the threat of toxic pollution on a worldwide scale. Blacksmith serves as Secretariat for the [[GAHP (Global Alliance on Health and Pollution)|GAHP]], which is supported by the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and UNIDO, among other agencies. Blacksmith began coordinating an international effort to create a global alliance in 2008.  The effort was formerly called the [http://www.hpfund.org Health and Pollution Fund].
 ==Blacksmith Success Stories==