Across the river: Anapra community

The scant Rio Grande divides El Paso from Juarez. On one side stands a large striped ASARCO chimney, and just across the river each dusty hill is hopefully overshadowed by a cross. However, it's unclear what kind of protection the inhabitants are recieving. The black stripes of the hills are evidence to the factory wastes that ASARCO has dumped in the slum community called Anapra. We walk between houses built of plywood and scrap mattresses. The fences dividing the plots are creatively made from trash. Locals don't mind telling us their health problems.

A mother tells us that the children are suffering from asthma. Four of her son's friends use an inhalor. The man with her quickly interjects in fast Spanish: his mother-in-law got breathing problems as soon as she moved to the area. Another shop owner says, "Many boys and girls die here. Toxins are found in their bodies." "They have lead in their lungs and blood." He seems defeated telling us about a petition that many community members signed. They want ASARCO to remain closed. No more dropping the wastes across the border again. But, no one in authority seems to be paying the list of signatures much heed.



A weathered woman emerges from her house, stepping over tire parts. She says the closest clinic is across the bridge. "If a child gets sick, we wait. The Clinic is far, so if he gets bad, we will take him to the hospital. But first we wait."