SANTO DOMINGO.- The prestigious publication bloomberg.com today refers to a report which compares Chernobyl -site of the world's worst nuclear accident- with the Dominican township Bajos de Haina, in a “nation known for its eco- tourism.”

The report affirms that Bajos de Haina, located just 10 miles west of this capital, is “severely contaminated,” assertion based on an evaluation appearing in the website of the New York-based Blacksmith Institute.

“Chernobyl, the site of the world's worst nuclear accident, and the town of Bajos de Haina in the Dominican Republic, a Caribbean nation known for its eco- tourism, share something in common: They both feature on a list of the world's 10 worst polluted places,” the Bloomberg report states/

Bajos de Haina’s severe contamination, it says, results from lead from a now-closed down vehicle battery recycling smelter, according to the report of the Blacksmith Institute, which lists locations in the developing world and former Soviet Republics.

“Living in a town with serious pollution is like living under a death sentence. If the damage does not come from immediate poisoning, then cancers, lung infections and mental retardation are likely outcomes,'' the report's authors said, quoted by Bloomberg.

The report adds that the final 10 sites were chosen using advice from several prestigious institutions, while its authors warn that some 85,000 people are at risk in Bajos de Haina, located on the island Christopher Columbus described as “the most beautiful that man has seen,” while the Dominican Tourism Ministry calls it “inexhaustible.”