DAVID ROCHKIND PHOTOGRAPHY

Photography: pollution : the human cost

Most people in La Oroya feel trapped. They know that the only way to get healthy is to leave town, but the possibility of leaving their homes and transplanting their families on a meager salary is nearly impossible. Residents are fearful to challenge the company and have very little support or protection from the Peruvian government. Doe Run-Peru has already been granted an extension to the deadline to bring the plant within environmental health norms, but workers say it will be difficult to meet the new deadline. With no voice and no protection, residents of La Oroya currently have very few possibilities to lead healthy lives.
Most people in La Oroya feel trapped. They know that the only way to get healthy is to leave town, but the possibility of leaving their homes and transplanting their families on a meager salary is nearly impossible. Residents are fearful to challenge the company and have very little support or protection from the Peruvian government. Doe Run-Peru has already been granted an extension to the deadline to bring the plant within environmental health norms, but workers say it will be difficult to meet the new deadline. With no voice and no protection, residents of La Oroya currently have very few possibilities to lead healthy lives.