Cubatao, 60km south of Sao Paolo in Brazil. The city is known locally as 'the valley of death' because of industrial toxic waste
Cubatao, 60km south of Sao Paolo in southern Brazil. The city is known locally as 'the valley of death' because of industrial toxic waste dumping in open landfills around the villages and forest edges of the Cubatao valley. Cubatão is a city in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, 12 kilometers away from Santos seaport, the largest in Latin America. The population in 2003 was 113,599, its density is ² and the area is 142 km². It hosts 24 industries, refining oil, making steel and fertilizers. In the early 1980s, Cubatão was one of the most polluted cities in the world, nicknamed "Valley of Death", due to births of brainless children and respiratory, hepatic and blood illnesses. High air pollution was killing forest over hills around the city. It's a rich town with a poor population. It was ranked the top ten dirtiest cities in the world by Popular Science. On February 25, 1984 an oil spill set the shantytown Vila Socó on fire, killing 93 people according to official figures, though the actual death toll may be more than 200[citation needed]. The contamination of workers with persistent organic pollutants put Rhodia into Greenpeace's top 10 world's worst corporate crimes ever in its report to Rio Summit in 1992. Strong efforts were made to diminish pollution in the city, costing $ billion so far. Although things have improved a lot, it is impossible to completely clean the soil and groundwater and while many large industries continue to work in such a small area, there will always be some pollution[citation needed]. Cubatao, 60km south of Sao Paolo in southern Brazil. The city is known locally as 'the valley of death' because of industrial toxic waste dumping in open landfills around the villages and forest edges of the Cubatao valley. The health of the population is at risk, particularly the children where there is a high incidence of respitary problems. The children are regularly given oxygen at the local hospital.
Size: 5092px × 3352px
Location: Cubatao , Brazil
Photo credit: © Steve Morgan / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: children, effects, health, industrial, industry, landscapes, pollution, toxic, trucks, waste
