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Story May 7, 2018

High in the Polluted Andes

Country:

Peru
Author:
The Raúl Rojas open-pit mine seen from Paraghsa, one of the worst affected neighbourhoods in Cerro de Pasco. The pit stretches for 1.2 miles and is over 1,000 feet deep. Image by Ricardo Martinez.
English

Project

Pasco Region Residents in Peru Plead for Poisoned Kids

A new generation suffers from heavy metal pollution, with little relief in sight.

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Zinc, which is the top metal mined at Cerro de Pasco and among the top five consumed worldwide, is the main ingredient of every American penny. Volcan sold US$399.6 million in 2016 — the bulk its total metal sales stayed in Peru (48%), which reported US$1.4 billion in zinc exports through 2016. The rest of Volcan's 2016 zinc output was exported to South Korea (19%), China (14%), Canada (6%) and the US (5%), according to Volcan's annual report. Image by Ricardo Martínez. Peru, 2018.
Zinc, which is the top metal mined at Cerro de Pasco and among the top five consumed worldwide, is the main ingredient of every American penny. Volcan sold US$399.6 million in 2016 — the bulk its total metal sales stayed in Peru (48%), which reported US$1.4 billion in zinc exports through 2016. The rest of Volcan's 2016 zinc output was exported to South Korea (19%), China (14%), Canada (6%) and the US (5%), according to Volcan's annual report. Image by Ricardo Martínez. Peru, 2018.

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