La Oroya, Peru
At the mining town of La Oroya, toxic emissions from the metal processing plant owned by the Missouri-based Doe Run Corporation have been largely responsible for dangerously high levels of lead in the blood of 99 percent of the children living in and around the area. Extremely high rates of premature deaths are linked to noxious gasses from the smelter, and lung-related ailments are commonplace. Vegetation in the surrounding area has been destroyed by acid rain due to high sulfur dioxide emissions.
Linfen, China