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Think you know the world's most dangerous places? Think again! From volcanic lakes with wild colors to radioactive ghost towns, we reveal the top 10 most toxic spots on Earth—where beauty hides serious hazards. Which place shocked you the most? Hit subscribe for more wild discoveries and let us know in the comments what blew your mind! #travel #science #nature #history #environment
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@noelpolotv
0:00 - Invisible Dangers of Toxic Places
1:14 - Lake Telaga Warna: Beauty and Toxicity
2:48 - Manshiat Nasser: The City of Garbage
4:15 - Danakil Depression: A Deadly Landscape
5:53 - Nickel Mining in Mindanao
7:25 - Ganges River: Pollution and Devotion
8:58 - Deadly Waters and Toxic Legacies
17:28 - Closing Thoughts and Call to Action
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@noelpolotv
0:00 - Invisible Dangers of Toxic Places
1:14 - Lake Telaga Warna: Beauty and Toxicity
2:48 - Manshiat Nasser: The City of Garbage
4:15 - Danakil Depression: A Deadly Landscape
5:53 - Nickel Mining in Mindanao
7:25 - Ganges River: Pollution and Devotion
8:58 - Deadly Waters and Toxic Legacies
17:28 - Closing Thoughts and Call to Action
Category
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TravelTranscript
00:00There are places in the world where danger isn't always visible to the eye.
00:04It doesn't require an explosion or a fierce animal lurking in the bushes.
00:09Sometimes, just breathing the wrong air, touching dirty water,
00:14or walking on soil that for many years has absorbed poisons and heavy metals is enough.
00:20Gas, volcanic ash, or industrial waste.
00:24In some of these places, the toxicity comes directly from nature itself.
00:30Volcanic lakes filled with sulfur, water with extreme acidity,
00:34and landscapes surrounded by gases coming from deep within the earth.
00:39In others, the problem is caused by human activity.
00:43Dirty cities! Rivers that have become like dumping grounds for garbage!
00:48Mines that left chemical traces in the soil,
00:51and places where radiation has changed the relationship between people and their environment.
00:57Get ready, because we will visit the 10 most toxic places in the world.
01:03But before we start, if you're new to our channel,
01:07please click the subscribe button,
01:08and also hit the notification bell so you'll always be updated with our new videos.
01:14Lake Telaga Warna, Indonesia.
01:17In the mountains of Dieng, on the island of Java,
01:20there is a lake that at first glance looks more beautiful than dangerous.
01:25It is called Telaga Warna, which in Indonesia means the Lake of Colors.
01:30Depending on the light, time of day, and concentration of minerals,
01:35its water can appear green, blue, yellow, or even white,
01:41as if the scenery is gradually changing right before your eyes.
01:46But that color is not just a simple illusion.
01:50Telaga Warna is part of the Dieng Volcanic Complex,
01:55a place where underground activity remains active.
01:59Sulfur compounds, volcanic gases, and minerals dissolved in the water
02:05accumulate in the lake, which is what changes its appearance.
02:09Its pH is around 3, although it changes depending on the season.
02:16This isn't the most acidic lake on the planet,
02:19but it's one of the clearest examples of how a beautiful landscape
02:23can hide dangerous chemistry.
02:27From the viewing areas,
02:30Telaga Warna looks like a postcard that's too good to be true.
02:34But up close, it reminds you that beneath its colors
02:38lies an active volcanic system, gases, acidity,
02:43and a beauty that comes from its very own toxicity.
02:48Manchiat Nasr, Egypt
02:51In the southeast of Cairo, near the Mokotam Hills,
02:55you'll find a community that the rest of the city seems to prefer to ignore.
02:59It's called Manchiat Nasr,
03:01although almost everyone knows it better by another name,
03:04the City of Garbage.
03:06More than 260,000 people live here,
03:09and every day they handle around 10,000 tons of garbage from all over the capital.
03:16It is collected by a community called the Zabaline.
03:20They are Coptic Christians who have been doing this work for over a century
03:24without proper contracts, public infrastructure,
03:28clean drinking water, or a proper sewage system.
03:31The Egyptian authorities seem to have chosen to just turn a blind eye.
03:37The streets are covered with piles of garbage that reach up to 2 meters high.
03:42Rats roam freely.
03:45The air smells of rotting organic matter, as well as burning plastic,
03:49because some of the garbage is burned right in the community.
03:53Cases of hepatitis, tetanus, and respiratory diseases are high.
03:57And these are above the national average.
04:00The most remarkable thing is the ability of the Zabalian
04:03to recycle up to 80% of all the waste that enters the area.
04:07A percentage that even many cities in Europe
04:11with modern waste management systems cannot reap.
04:15Danakil Depression, Ethiopia.
04:17In northeastern Ethiopia, there is a place once described by National Geographic
04:23as one of the harshest places on Earth.
04:26It is called the Danakil Depression,
04:29and the conditions here are enough to justify that reputation.
04:33It is located more than 100 meters below sea level.
04:36It also records one of the highest average annual temperatures on the planet.
04:41And in its most extreme part, you can find the volcanic crater of Dalol,
04:46where temperatures can reach up to 109 degrees Celsius.
04:51The reason why Dalol looks so unique
04:54is the deadly liquid that comes out on the surface
04:56and forms lakes with unbelievable colors.
05:00Neon green, orange, yellow sulfur, and white salt.
05:04It looks like a landscape designed by a computer,
05:07but it's completely real and extremely dangerous.
05:09For years, scientists have been studying this place
05:12as a possible analog of Mars
05:14to find out if there is dangerous life.
05:17In some areas,
05:20microorganisms called extremophiles have been found,
05:23organisms that can survive in extremely harsh conditions.
05:28But in other areas, even these organisms are absent.
05:32There are lakes in Dalol where no known form of life can survive.
05:36And yet, for more than 2,000 years,
05:40the Afar people have lived in the surrounding area.
05:43They manually extract the salt and load it onto camels,
05:47which are adapted to a place where it seems
05:50as if the planet itself is warning you to leave.
05:54Nickel mines in Mindanao, Philippines.
05:57In the southern part of the Philippines,
05:59particularly in the Caraga region,
06:01nickel mining has left behind some of the country's newest landscapes.
06:05From the air,
06:07in many parts of Mindanao and the nearby islands,
06:10you can see mountains with exposed earth,
06:13steep reddish slopes,
06:15and roads that are covered.
06:18That color comes from laterite,
06:20a type of soil rich in nickel and iron,
06:23which is extracted from open pit mines.
06:27For this, the plants and the top layer of soil need to be removed first.
06:32This is where the problem starts when heavy rains come.
06:36In a humid region that often experiences typhoons and has steep slopes,
06:42the water can carry the soil removed from the mine to rivers,
06:47farms, mangroves, and coastal areas.
06:50The most concerning thing is the huge contrast.
06:54Nickel is considered an important mineral for batteries,
06:59electric vehicles,
07:00and technologies used in the energy transition.
07:04But in places like Mindanao,
07:07the global demand for it could mean forests being cut down,
07:10rivers being altered,
07:12and rivers filled with sediment,
07:15and communities that have to bear the unseen costs of an industry
07:19that the rest of the world only notices
07:21when the metal is already inside a device.
07:25Ganges River, India.
07:27The Ganges River is not just a polluted river.
07:31It is also one of the most sacred places in India,
07:35a river revered by millions of people,
07:37and at the same time,
07:39one of the rivers under the greatest pressure on the planet.
07:44Originating from the Himalayas,
07:46the river flows through massive cities and agricultural zones,
07:50industrial area,
07:52and religious centers where water is a part of daily life.
07:57It is used for bathing, praying, washing clothes,
08:02transportation, immersing the ashes of the deceased,
08:05and supplying the entire community.
08:07The combination of devotion,
08:10the large number of people,
08:12and industry explains a big part of the problem.
08:17The National Mission for Clean Ganga itself
08:20recognizes that approximately 3 billion liters of wastewater
08:24reach the main part of the Ganges River every day
08:27from the cities along its banks.
08:29In addition to this are industrial waste and other pollutants,
08:34solid waste, organic garbage,
08:36and the urban pressure that for several decades
08:39has exceeded the capacity of the sanitation systems.
08:43For many pilgrims,
08:44entering its waters holds a deep spiritual meaning.
08:48But in some areas,
08:50especially near large cities,
08:52those same waters contain high levels of fecal bacteria
08:55and organic pollution.
08:57Kaua, Ijen, Indonesia,
09:00in the eastern part of the island of Java,
09:02at an altitude of almost 2,400 meters.
09:06There is an active volcano with a crater lake
09:09of such an intense turquoise color
09:11that it seems unreal.
09:13Its name is Kaua Ijen,
09:15and perhaps it is one of the most sought-after places
09:18in the entire video.
09:21But it is also one of the deadliest.
09:23The lake has a diameter of about 1 kilometer
09:27and contains an estimated 36 million cubic meters
09:32of sulfuric and hydrochloric acid.
09:35A single drop of it on the skin
09:37can immediately cause severe burns.
09:40Falling into it can result in severe injury and death
09:44in a very short period of time.
09:47But what's truly unique about Kaua Ijen
09:50is what happens here when night falls.
09:52The sulfur that comes out of the volcano
09:55at temperatures over 600 degrees Celsius
09:58ignites when it comes into contact with oxygen.
10:03The result is electric blue flames
10:05that can reach up to 5 meters high.
10:08It's like rivers of blue fire
10:11crawling down the slopes of the crater
10:13while the surroundings are dark.
10:15This is one of the most unique
10:17and awe-inspiring natural phenomena on the planet.
10:22And in the midst of all this,
10:24every dawn,
10:25dozens of miners go down into the crater
10:28to manually collect sulfur.
10:31They carry baskets made of bamboo
10:34that can hold up to 90 kilos
10:36and they carry these on their backs
10:38with almost no protection
10:40except for a wet cloth covering their mouths.
10:43For the past 40 years,
10:46dozens of miners have lost their lives
10:48due to explosions and other dangers in the area.
10:51Rio Tinto, Spain,
10:53in the province of Huelva,
10:54the Rio Tinto River
10:55looks more like an open wound on the earth
10:58than an ordinary river.
11:00Its water is tinged with red,
11:02orange, and copper
11:03as it flows through one of the oldest mining areas
11:06in the world.
11:07For thousands of years,
11:09different civilizations have thrived here
11:11because of the minerals of the Iberian pyrite belt,
11:14a region rich in metallic sulfides.
11:17The water of the Rio Tinto is extremely acidic
11:20with a pH close to 2.5
11:23and a high concentration of iron,
11:25sulfates,
11:26and metals like copper,
11:28zinc,
11:29and arsenic.
11:31Its reddish color mainly comes from
11:34dissolved and oxidized iron
11:35which colors the riverbed
11:37as if it carries liquid rust.
11:40At first glance,
11:42it looks dirty and lifeless.
11:44But in reality,
11:46it is home to microorganisms
11:48that can survive in conditions
11:50extremely dangerous for most species.
11:53That's why the Rio Tinto River
11:55is being studied
11:56as a possible analog for Mars.
11:59NASA considers it a great place
12:01to conduct research
12:02on extremely acidic environments
12:03that may be similar to the conditions
12:05that once existed
12:06beneath the surface of Mars.
12:08Chernobyl, Ukraine.
12:11In northern Ukraine,
12:13Chernobyl represents
12:14a different kind of toxicity
12:16compared to an acidic lake
12:18or a polluted river.
12:20Here,
12:21the danger has no color.
12:23It has no smell or taste.
12:26It can't be seen on the surface,
12:27in the water,
12:28or in the smoke from a chimney.
12:30It can be found
12:31in invisible particles,
12:33in contaminated soil,
12:35in abandoned buildings,
12:36and in the memory
12:37of a particular night.
12:40On April 26, 1986,
12:43reactor number four
12:44of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant
12:46exploded during a safety test
12:48that went wrong.
12:50The explosion and fire
12:52released radioactive material
12:54into the atmosphere
12:55for several days,
12:56forcing people
12:57to evacuate the area.
12:59Pripyat,
13:00the city built
13:01for the plant workers,
13:02was completely abandoned.
13:04Its schools,
13:06apartment buildings,
13:07swimming pool,
13:09and parks
13:09became like a scene
13:11frozen in time.
13:13An exclusion zone
13:14with a radius
13:15of about 30 kilometers
13:16was established
13:17to keep the population
13:18away from
13:19radioactive contamination.
13:22In 1986,
13:23more than 100,000 people
13:25were evacuated
13:26and many more
13:27followed later.
13:28They were relocated
13:29to different parts
13:30of Ukraine,
13:31Belarus,
13:32and Russia.
13:33You can't immediately tell
13:35that Chernobyl
13:36is dangerous
13:36at first glance,
13:38and that's exactly
13:39what's frightening
13:39because the place
13:40might look calm
13:41and peaceful.
13:42Plants have returned,
13:44animals roam freely
13:45in the forests,
13:46and many of the buildings
13:48are still standing.
13:49But beneath
13:50the quiet appearance
13:51of the place
13:52remains the radioactive footprint
13:54that has turned it
13:55into one of the most
13:56well-known contaminated sites
13:58on the planet.
13:59Lake Natron,
14:01Tanzania.
14:02In northern Tanzania,
14:04near the border
14:04with Kenya,
14:05Lake Natron
14:06looks like a red mirror
14:08lying in the Rift Valley.
14:10Its water can appear
14:11pink, orange,
14:12or almost blood-colored
14:14because of microorganisms
14:15adapted to extreme salinity.
14:18But that beauty
14:18comes from some
14:19highly unusual chemistry.
14:22Natron is dangerous
14:23not because it's acidic,
14:24but because it's the opposite.
14:26It's extremely alkaline,
14:28highly caustic.
14:30Because of evaporation,
14:32salts like sodium carbonate,
14:33also known as natron,
14:35accumulate and raise the pH
14:37to levels that reach
14:38almost 10.5.
14:41This acidic water
14:42can irritate the skin
14:43and eyes of animals
14:45that are not adapted
14:46to such conditions.
14:48When animals die
14:50on its shores,
14:51the salts help preserve
14:52their bodies,
14:53making them appear stiff
14:55and almost like mummies.
14:58What's most unusual
14:59is that this dangerous environment
15:01actually helps protect life.
15:04For dwarf flamingos,
15:06Natron is one of the most
15:08important breeding grounds
15:09in East Africa.
15:11The lake's harsh conditions
15:12help keep them safe
15:14from predators.
15:16Jershinsk, Russia.
15:18About 370 kilometers
15:20east of Moscow,
15:22Jershinsk holds
15:23one of the darkest chemical
15:24legacies of the former
15:25Soviet Union.
15:26For several decades,
15:28it became a major center
15:29for industrial production
15:30and the manufacture
15:32of chemical weapons.
15:33Here,
15:34substances such as mustard gas,
15:37leuocyte,
15:37hydrocyanic acid,
15:39and phosgene
15:40were used,
15:41compounds designed to poison,
15:43burn,
15:43or suffocate.
15:44The problem did not end
15:46when many factories
15:47closed down.
15:48Between 1930 and 1998,
15:51it is estimated
15:52that almost 300,000 tons
15:54of chemical waste
15:55were dumped in the area,
15:56containing more than
15:57a hundred toxic compounds.
16:00Some of this pollution
16:01ended up in the soil,
16:03groundwater,
16:04and waste ponds,
16:05including the so-called
16:07White Sea,
16:07a large reservoir
16:08filled with chemical sludge
16:10that has become a symbol
16:11of environmental damage
16:12in Jershinsk.
16:13At first glance,
16:15it just looks like
16:16an ordinary industrial city,
16:18but beneath that appearance
16:19lies a mixture
16:20of persistent dioxins,
16:22phenols,
16:23heavy metals,
16:24and Soviet-era
16:25chemical waste.
16:26In the end,
16:27these places show
16:28that toxicity comes
16:29in many forms.
16:31Sometimes it appears
16:32as a colorful lake
16:33filled with sulfur
16:34and volcanic gases.
16:36At other times,
16:37it hides in a sacred river
16:39full of trash,
16:40in an industrial city
16:42that has struggled
16:42with pollution for decades,
16:44or in an abandoned place
16:46where radiation
16:47is still part of the landscape.
16:50What's alarming
16:51is that many of these places
16:53don't show their danger
16:54at first glance.
16:57Lake Natron
16:58stands out
16:59as a massive red lake
17:00in the middle
17:00of the Rift Valley.
17:03Kauiijin,
17:04on the other hand,
17:05is captivating
17:05because of its turquoise lake
17:07and blue flames.
17:08The Rio Tinto
17:10flows with colors
17:11that almost look
17:12like a Martian landscape.
17:14Even Chernobyl,
17:15now with regrowing forests,
17:17offers a unique sense
17:18of tranquility.
17:19But behind those images
17:21may be hidden acidity,
17:23gas,
17:24heavy metals,
17:25chemical waste,
17:26or radiation.
17:28Which of these places
17:30caught your attention the most?
17:32Leave your comments below.
17:34And if you want to keep discovering
17:36the most intense,
17:37unique,
17:37and surprising places
17:39on the planet,
17:40subscribe to
17:40Noel Polo Television.
17:42Until next time.
17:49Sous-titrage Société Radio-Canada
17:51Sous-titrage Société Radio-Canada
17:52Sous-titrage Société Radio-Canada