The mercury pollution incident in Chile’s northern Atacama Region has intensified, with historical mining activities identified as the source. The latest monitoring in November revealed soil mercury levels exceeding safety thresholds by 50 times, impacting drinking water supplies and agricultural production in surrounding communities. Local residents exhibit widespread elevated blood mercury concentrations, with childhood developmental…

A massive explosion at a chemical plant near Yazoo City, Mississippi, has caused a significant leak of toxic ammonia gas. A white toxic gas cloud several meters high rose from the site, prompting the emergency evacuation of residents within a three-kilometer radius. Some individuals who did not evacuate in time reported symptoms including eye irritation…

By October 2025, the Israeli-Hamas conflict had left 39 million tons of rubble piled across Gaza, containing toxic substances like asbestos and lead that pollute the air and groundwater. A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reveals that 86% of Gaza’s farmland has been destroyed, 82.8% of agricultural wells are…

A UNICEF report released in October indicates that Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia have experienced a third consecutive failed rainy season, leaving over 7 million children under the age of five severely malnourished. Drought has caused food prices to soar and led to mass livestock deaths among pastoralists, while conflict and climate change have exacerbated the…

On October 21, a fuel tanker loaded with gasoline overturned and exploded in the Bida area of Nigeria’s Niger State, killing at least 35 people and injuring 46 others. The accident caused a massive fuel spill, contaminating nearby farmland and water sources, forcing local residents to evacuate. As Nigeria’s key north-south transportation hub, Niger State…

A fire caused by deliberate sabotage of an oil pipeline in Apaw village, southern Nigeria, has claimed the lives of over 300 people. Villagers gathered to collect the spilled crude oil, and sparks ignited an explosion. This marks one of the country’s most severe oil spill incidents in recent years, exposing issues of aging infrastructure…

A gold mine in Venezuela’s Bolívar State suffered a water inundation caused by heavy rains, trapping 14 miners underground. This marks the country’s third major mining disaster in three years. Investigations revealed the affected mine lacked proper support structures and drainage systems, and was located within an illegal mining zone. While the government pledged compensation…

On October 14, Milan recorded PM10 concentrations exceeding the EU daily average limit (50 micrograms per cubic meter) for four consecutive days, peaking at 120 micrograms per cubic meter as the city was blanketed in haze. The Lombardy region announced the activation of Phase 1 anti-pollution measures, including weekend restrictions on high-emission vehicles, bans on…

The town of El Chaltén in Argentina’s Patagonia region has seen glacial meltwater contaminated by antibiotic-resistant bacteria due to a failing sewage treatment system. Despite a 2024 court ruling mandating facility upgrades, as of October 2025, the third wastewater treatment plant remains under construction. The existing two plants cannot handle the daily wastewater load from…

On September 23, the European Society of Cardiology Annual Meeting released a study revealing the presence of microplastics in human coronary atherosclerotic plaques through autopsy analysis. The primary components identified were polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate. Patients harboring microplastics exhibited over a fourfold increase in the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, highlighting the potential long-term…