The cities humans destroyed - and the one where animals took over | Weekend special

A weekend magazine feature examines four cities abandoned due to severe environmental pollution: Wittenoom in Australia, Picher and Libby in the USA, and Chernobyl in Ukraine. The article describes the health effects, cleanup efforts, and legal settlements in each case.

A weekend magazine feature examines four cities around the world abandoned due to severe environmental pollution: Wittenoom in Western Australia, an asbestos mining town declared the most contaminated site in the Southern Hemisphere; Picher in Oklahoma, USA, a lead and zinc mining town where 34% of children suffered from severe lead poisoning; Libby in Montana, USA, where vermiculite mining caused fatal lung diseases; and Chernobyl in Ukraine, where the 1986 nuclear disaster led to the evacuation of Pripyat residents and the establishment of an unofficial nature reserve. The article describes the health effects, cleanup efforts, and legal settlements in each case, noting that while Wittenoom and Picher were erased from the map, Libby was rehabilitated and now has about 3,000 residents.