Living in Peru : your everyday companion

(LIP-jl) -- Downtown Lima has long been considered one of Peru's most polluted areas. Thousands of taxis, collectivos, and outdated buses send plumes of harmful pollutants and unpleasant odors into the Limean sky. The marine layer to the west and the mountains to the east form a natural trap for the capital city's smog.

Aside from obvious security and safety issues , living and working in downtown Lima now presents a much more dangerous risk: respiratory illnesses.

According to Peruvian health authorities, those who live and work in downtown Lima run a 50% greater risk of developing some form of respiratory illness.

"If we analyze the health of people who spend the majority of their day in downtown Lima, I am sure you will find high traces of carbon monoxide, which will generate problems in respiratory passage ways," indicated Dante Añaños, President of the Peruvian Society of Pneumology's Environmental Committee.

According to Añaños, the bad quality of Lima's air is mostly due to the inferior quality of diesel fuel that is consumed in Peru.

Despite constant publications and warnings the Peruvian government has done little to curb this growing problem.

Showing frustration, Añaños reiterated that Peru's scientific community is tired of making diagnoses that are often brushed aside or simply forgotten by Peruvian authorities.