I wrote last about the beautiful places of the world, most of which I have only seen from my television screen. I fixate on them, hope to visit them, and wish for more places like them. But as often as I forget that those places need protection from deconstruction, I forget even more that there are horribly polluted areas desperately in need of reconstruction.
I found this picture while reading the ' Worst Polluted Places' list of 2007, constructed by conservation groups and issued this past September.
This picture is the hardest thing to look at. But it is the biggest eye opener to me.
This boy is an orphan in Chernobyl, Ukraine and a radiation victim. The 1986 nucelar explosion in Chernobyl affected thousands and continues to affect previous residents and residents in surrounding areas. The children suffer the most. From 1992-2002 in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, there were more than 4,000 children diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Currently, more than five million people live in those areas, classified as contaminated.
Though a large amount of radiation was released at the time of the disaster, the majority is still within the plant. It is estimated that more than 100 tons of radioactive products could be released if another accident occurs.
What can we do? Well, I know we are all hard-working college students and our money earned is usually money we need. But, keep the children of Chernobyl and other polluted places in mind when you have a few extra bucks to give.
You can donate here:
https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=14660
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