A new report — published Tuesday by two independent environmental organizations, Green Cross Switzerland and the U.S.-based Blacksmith Institute — “has found that the health of up to 200 million people worldwide is threatened by pollution,” VOA News reports. “The top 10 most polluted places are spread over eight countries located in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America,” which “are cited for threatening the lives of the millions of people who live there by exposing them to dangerous environmental toxins,” the news service writes. “The report noted that pollutants in these places affect people through direct inhalation, food intake and skin contact,” VOA notes (Schlein, 11/5). “The Top Ten Toxic Threats report is the latest in a series of annual reports documenting global pollution issues,” according to Inter Press Service, which notes, “The list is based on the severity of the health risk and the number of people exposed.” The news service writes, “The Blacksmith Institute has conducted more than 3,000 initial risk assessments in 49 countries since the last list of polluted sites released by the two groups in 2007,” and IPS provides details of the report (11/5).