Blacksmith is leading an international partnership to build the world’s first comprehensive database of polluted places. Investigative teams have begun to fan out across more than 80 countries to collect data that will help prioritize cleanup and save millions of lives. Richard Fuller, president of Blacksmith, calls the inventory “the world’s answer to the U.S. Superfund initiative.” The project is part of a larger Blacksmith effort to establish the $500 million Health and Pollution Fund to eradicate legacy pollution in the developing world.
With a budget of over $1 million, the Global Inventory Project is a joint effort between Blacksmith, The European Commission, The United Nations Industrial Development Organization and Green Cross Switzerland.
Lead Poisoning and Car Batteries: A Deadly Problem
As the leading organization working on the cleanup of lead pollution from car batteries, Blacksmith is bringing a new, urgent focus to this deadly, yet largely unnoticed problem, which poisons over 12 million people worldwide.
Last year, Blacksmith was called in to conduct cleanup in Thiaroye-Sur-Mer, Senegal, after 18 children died from lead poisoning. Like almost every city in the developing world, Thiaroye-Sur-Mer has a thriving informal lead recycling market, where car batteries are broken by hand and smelted down in kitchens and backyards. Current lead cleanup projects are ongoing in Senegal, Kenya, Ghana, the Dominican Republic, and the Philippines.
In Senegal, Blacksmith is planning to establish satellite collection centers to recover car batteries and send them to proper recycling facilities. Blacksmith partners for this project include the Common Fund for Commodities, the International Lead Management Center, the International Lead and Zinc Study Group and the Basel Secretariat.
Philippines:
New Manager for the Meycauayan-Marilao-Obando River System Rehabilitation Project
Jennifer Marie Sunga-Amparo is the new program manager for Blacksmith’s project to clean this contaminated river system. She takes over form Marlo Mendoza, who is moving to the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources, where he will continue to work with Blacksmith.
Among her first duties, Ms. Sunga-Amparo conducted a health assessment of the population living near the river. She also tested a new technology to bind and extract toxic heavy metals dumped into the water from factories and tanneries nearby. Ms. Sunga-Amparo brings considerable experience in the field as an instructor, coordinator and leader of various environment and social development projects. She holds a B.S. in Human Ecology (cum laude) from the University of the Philippines, Los Banos, and is currently finishing her thesis for an M.A. in Sociology at the University of the Philippines, Diliman.
In the News:
Blacksmith’s Executive Director Meredith Block was recently interviewed by the BBC about global water pollution. She talked about treating polluted groundwater in India using an innovative "electron donor.” Read the story.
Blacksmith’s President Richard Fuller traveled to Japan to raise awareness about global pollution. He brought his message to "The Most Useful School in the World,” one of the most popular TV programs in Japan.
With a budget of over $1 million, the Global Inventory Project is a joint effort between Blacksmith, The European Commission, The United Nations Industrial Development Organization and Green Cross Switzerland.
Lead Poisoning and Car Batteries: A Deadly Problem
As the leading organization working on the cleanup of lead pollution from car batteries, Blacksmith is bringing a new, urgent focus to this deadly, yet largely unnoticed problem, which poisons over 12 million people worldwide.
Last year, Blacksmith was called in to conduct cleanup in Thiaroye-Sur-Mer, Senegal, after 18 children died from lead poisoning. Like almost every city in the developing world, Thiaroye-Sur-Mer has a thriving informal lead recycling market, where car batteries are broken by hand and smelted down in kitchens and backyards. Current lead cleanup projects are ongoing in Senegal, Kenya, Ghana, the Dominican Republic, and the Philippines.
In Senegal, Blacksmith is planning to establish satellite collection centers to recover car batteries and send them to proper recycling facilities. Blacksmith partners for this project include the Common Fund for Commodities, the International Lead Management Center, the International Lead and Zinc Study Group and the Basel Secretariat.
Philippines:
New Manager for the Meycauayan-Marilao-Obando River System Rehabilitation Project
Jennifer Marie Sunga-Amparo is the new program manager for Blacksmith’s project to clean this contaminated river system. She takes over form Marlo Mendoza, who is moving to the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources, where he will continue to work with Blacksmith.
Among her first duties, Ms. Sunga-Amparo conducted a health assessment of the population living near the river. She also tested a new technology to bind and extract toxic heavy metals dumped into the water from factories and tanneries nearby. Ms. Sunga-Amparo brings considerable experience in the field as an instructor, coordinator and leader of various environment and social development projects. She holds a B.S. in Human Ecology (cum laude) from the University of the Philippines, Los Banos, and is currently finishing her thesis for an M.A. in Sociology at the University of the Philippines, Diliman.
In the News:
Blacksmith’s Executive Director Meredith Block was recently interviewed by the BBC about global water pollution. She talked about treating polluted groundwater in India using an innovative "electron donor.” Read the story.
Blacksmith’s President Richard Fuller traveled to Japan to raise awareness about global pollution. He brought his message to "The Most Useful School in the World,” one of the most popular TV programs in Japan.
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