The chimneys of Las Ventanas, in Valparaíso, had become the quintessential symbol of pollution in Chile and a grim reminder to neighbors of the toxic vapors they breathed every day.
On Wednesday, President Gabriel Boric decreed the progressive closure of the copper smelting and refinery plant. The cessation of operations at the National Copper Corporation of Chile (Codelco) plant has been touted as an achievement of the president's environmental policy.
Residents of the area were exposed to breathing air loaded with sulfur anhydride (SO2), carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds and hydrocarbons. This plant alone contributed 54% of Chile's annual sulfur dioxide emissions.
The economic impact will also have repercussions on the future of the area. The plant will continue to operate the refinery process, without the smelter, leaving many of its contractors up the air.
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