Russia – Magnitogorsk

Magnitogorsk in Western Russia lies on the banks of the Ural River. In the 1930’s one of the largest Russian iron and steel works was established here that produced steel for half the Russian tanks during WW II. The industry used to belch out 650,000 tons of industrial wastes, including 68 toxic chemicals, and polluted some 4,000 square miles of Russia. Pollution discharges are still very high and local authorities have no resources to address the problems.