"Poisoned Cities, Deadly Border"

A deep look at the Mexican city of Mexicali shows a pattern of unchecked pollution leading to illnesses and deaths on both sides of the border.

"Cities on the U.S.-Mexico border suffer in toxic air. The pollution is making people sick and cutting lives short. Little is being done to stop it."

"A suffocating brown haze hangs over Mexicali.

Clouds of smoke billow out of the city’s factories and float through neighborhoods where children run and play in the dusty streets. Soot rising from smokestacks mixes with exhaust from traffic-clogged avenues and columns of smoke swirling from blazing heaps of trash. s

When acrid fumes and particles fill the air, the pollution stings the nasal passages, grates in the throat and leaves people coughing and wheezing.

The air along this stretch of the border is so polluted it’s killing people. The tiny airborne particles ravage human lungs, triggering asthma and other chronic diseases. Children as young as 6 have been among the victims. The air leaves countless other people coping with illnesses throughout their lives."

Ian James reports for the Palm Springs Desert Sun December 5, 2018, with photos by Zoe Meyers, in a multipart feature package for the USA TODAY network.

SEE ALSO:

"This City's Air Is Killing People. Here's Why"

"This River Is Too Toxic To Touch, And People Live Right Next To It" (Desert Sun)

"A Toxic Dumping Ground Festers On The Border" (Desert Sun)

"This Mexican City Was Transformed By Factories. Its People Pay A Heavy Price" (Desert Sun)

"Poisoned Cities, Deadly Border: How We Did The Investigation" (Palm Springs Desert Sun)

"USA TODAY NETWORK’s “Poisoned Cities, Deadly Border” Investigation Uncovers Pattern of Unchecked Pollution on the Border" (USA TODAY)

 

Source: Palm Springs Desert Sun, 12/06/2018