Latvia’s Love Canal
Reporter Bruce Gellerman visits what Latvian environmental activists call their republic’s worst toxic waste dump. At the site just outside the capital Riga, liquid waste from five chemical and pharmaceutical factories is stored in open pools, burned in a crude incinerator and injected into the ground. The waste is suspected of killing a nearby forest and causing abnormally high rates of retardation, miscarriage and infant mortality.
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.