Town choking on mining´s side effects http://alainet.org/active/39248&lang=es

Andacollo, a town of 12,000 on the fringes of Chile's Atacama Desert has a long pre-Hispanic history, and is today famed for its massive festival honoring the Virgin of the Rosary. But a year ago, the government declared it a “Saturated Zone” because of high air pollution, a term it uses for areas with high levels of air pollution.

Since 1990, two mines have been operating, and the daily explosions at the two open pits spew particles into the air, making it unbreathable. The National Environment Commission, known as CONAMA, in April 2009 found the number of particles of 10 microns or more per m3, or MP 10, exceeded the limit for long term health. Industrialized countries that use that index use particles of 2.5 microns or more.