Smokey Mountain

On the outskirts of Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh the 100-acre Stung Meanchey Municipal Waste Dump resembles a mountain of burning garbage where methane continuously feeds the internal fire at the centre of the landfill. An estimated 2000 workers travel to the dump from nearby slums daily to scavenge through the soggy and smoldering rubbish in search of recyclable materials such as metals, plastics and glass that can be sold to nearby scrap shops. White fumes of smoke can be seen rising from the hot landscape of trash making the air barely breathable, creating a health hazard to those that work there. Approximately one quarter of the workers at the dump are children. The burning of waste releases dioxin and toxic heavy metals into the air. Children, being particularly vulnerable to their effects, breathe these fumes in all day. Prolonged exposure to dioxin is linked to cancer, impairment of the immune system, and irregularities in the development of the nervous system and reproductive functions.