Knowledge Database Helps Policy Makers Identify and Assess Toxic Waste Hot Spots

Millions of people in developing countries are routinely exposed to toxic substances left by postconflict, artisanal, and industrial toxic wastes. These substances severely affect their health—causing cancers, respiratory diseases, stomach and skin lesions, and psychiatric disorders. This problem is aggravated by the lack of information on the location of these hotspots, as well as their scale and cost of cleanup.

In 2009, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) joined the Global Inventory Project to help build a knowledge database that will contain comprehensive information on the location, toxicity, and health impacts of toxic hotspots. The database also contains information on the most cost-effective methods to clean up the sites.

To build the inventory, the project trained local teams to identify and assess toxic waste sites in their respective countries. These teams were made up of experts in the fields of geology, remediation, and public health. The regional inventory covered 16 low- and middle-income ADB developing member countries.

These efforts led to a knowledge database that catalogued, assessed, prioritized, and estimated costs for remediation of critical toxic sites. This database now guides policymakers in prioritizing cleanup activities in their own countries. This publication discusses how the knowledge database was completed, and how countries are now benefiting from a global effort to rid the world of toxic pollution.