Kishon River 586204 225515555 2008-07-14T02:36:27Z SieBot 4005189 robot Modifying: [[pl:Kiszon]] {{Geobox River <!-- *** Name section *** --> | name =Kishon River | native_name = | other_name = | other_name1 = <!-- *** Image *** ---> | image = | image_size = | image_caption = <!-- *** Etymology *** ---> | etymology = <!-- *** Country etc. *** --> | country = Israel | country1 = | state = | state1 = | region = | region1 = | district = [[Haifa District]] | district1 = | city = [[Haifa]] | city1 = | landmark = | landmark1 = <!-- *** Geography *** --> | length = | watershed = | discharge_location = | discharge = | discharge_max = | discharge_min = | discharge1_location = | discharge1 = <!-- *** Source *** --> | source_name = | source_location = | source_district = | source_region = | source_state = | source_country = | source_lat_d = | source_lat_m = | source_lat_s = | source_lat_NS = | source_long_d = | source_long_m = | source_long_s = | source_long_EW = | source_elevation = | source_length = <!-- *** Mouth *** --> | mouth_name = [[Mediterranean Sea]] | mouth_location =[[Haifa]] | mouth_district = | mouth_region = | mouth_state = | mouth_country = [[Israel]] | mouth_lat_d = | mouth_lat_m = | mouth_lat_s = | mouth_lat_NS = | mouth_long_d = | mouth_long_m = | mouth_long_s = | mouth_long_EW = | mouth_elevation = <!-- *** Tributaries *** --> | tributary_left = | tributary_left1 = | tributary_right = | tributary_right1 = <!-- *** Free fields *** --> | free_name = | free_value = <!-- *** Map section *** --> | map = | map_size = | map_caption = }} [[Image:Kishon.jpg|thumb|Kishon river near Haifa Chemicals{{check|date=September 2007}}]]<!-- Towers are probably those on refineries/Olefins compound. Thus, probably rather close to Haifa Chemicals & Fertilizers compound, looking onto main industrial zone, Haifa Chemicals main plants to the right of towers. --> [[Image:Bedawi of the Kishon.jpg|thumb|right|A Bedouin of the Kishon, 1913.]] '''Kishon River''' is a [[river]] in [[Israel]] that flows into the [[Mediterranean Sea]] at the city of [[Haifa]]. Considered the most [[pollution|polluted]] river in Israel, it has been the subject of controversy regarding the struggle to improve the water quality. The pollution stems in part from daily contamination for over 40 years with [[mercury (element)|mercury]], other [[heavy metals]], and [[organic chemical]]s by nearby chemical plants. It is often claimed today{{Fact|date=August 2007}} that there are more chemicals than water in the river, and that washing ones hands in this river can cause severe chemical burns.<ref>{{Citation |last=Andersson |first=Hilary |title=The Holy Land's poisonous river |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/941317.stm |accessdate=2007-08-28}}</ref> On several occasions this river (or rather, patches of petrochemical waste on it) has caught fire from the chemical contaminants. Below Histadrut Bridge ([[Highway 4 (Israel)|Highway 4]]{{Verify source|date=August 2007}}), after passing the petrochemical industries zone, the [[pH]] was 3 or below for most of the time in 2001. Since 2001, it was discovered that [[Shayetet 13]] veterans had high occurrence of [[cancer]], probably due to training in the polluted Kishon River and [[Haifa Bay]]. A commission for investigating the matter didn't find statistical evidences{{Fact|date=August 2007}} that the diving in the Kishon caused the cancer. However, Minister of Defence, [[Shaul Mofaz]], decided to compensate the divers' families in spite of the commission findings. A 2002 study found the ability of 3 hours' exposure to Kishon River water to induce [[DNA damage]] in [[rainbow trout]] liver cells to be on average threefold that of unpolluted water. Notably the lower Kishon<ref>Below the petrochemical industry zone, see Avishai ''et al.'' (2002)</ref> had a markedly elevated [[genotoxic]] potential. A 2000 analysis of the river water revealed {{cquote|... [[chlorine|chlorinated]] compounds in discharges from the refineries<ref>[[fluorine|Fluorinated]] compounds [[precipitate]] into the river [[sediment]]: Avishai ''et al.'' 2002)</ref>, the municipal [[sewage treatment]] plant and from the [[Haifa Chemicals]] fertilizer production plant. [[Heavy metal]]s were present in the discharges from the [[Carmel Olefins]] and Haifa Chemicals plants. The upper river system may also be mixed with genotoxic materials from [[domestic waste]] and [[agricultural runoff]] that contain [[pesticides]] and fertilizers. Potent genotoxins usually found in domestic wastes also include [[N-nitroso]] compounds and [[aromatic amine]]s, which are known to be present in human sanitary outflows as well as genotoxic [[PAH]]s found in municipal discharges.|||Avishai ''et al.'' (2002)}} ==Footnotes== {{reflist}} ==References== * {{aut|Avishai, Nanthawan; Rabinowitz, Claudette; Moiseeva, Elisabeth & Rinkevich, Baruch}} (2002): Genotoxicity of the Kishon River, Israel: the application of an in vitro cellular assay. ''Mutation Research'' '''518'''(1): 21–37. <small>{{doi|10.1016/S1383-5718(02)00069-4}}</small> (HTML abstract) ==External links== *[http://www.iued.org.il/page.aspx?pid=48&cid=0&menu=18 Israel Union for Environmental Defense: Kishon River] *[http://archive.greenpeace.org/majordomo/index-press-releases/1998/msg00280.html Greenpeace Press Release on Kishon River] *[http://www.zalul.org/en/category.asp?cid=176 Zalul Environmental Association: Campaign for the Kishon] [[Category:Rivers of Israel]] [[Category:Hebrew Bible rivers]] [[Category:Haifa]] {{Israel-geo-stub}} [[de:Kischon (Fluss)]] [[fr:Kishon]] [[he:נחל הקישון]] [[pl:Kiszon]] [[pt:Quisom (Rio)]] [[ru:Кишон (река)]]