La Oroya: A White Place Without Snow by Carlos Venegas

The history of La Oroya, Peru, is marked by decades of environmental pollution generated mainly by the industrial activities of the city's smelter and copper mine, and its impact on human health. For many years, La Oroya was considered the fifth most polluted city on the planet, with critical levels of sulphur dioxide, lead, cadmium and arsenic in the air. Studies in 1999 indicated that 99 per cent of the children in the city had high levels of lead in their blood, which causes neurological damage and chronic disease and, in adults, cardiovascular problems and cancer. Despite interventions from the Peruvian government and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, official figures reveal that this plant continues to emit levels of sulphur dioxide well above those recommended by the World Health Organisation.