Living under a refinery in Curacao

(01:54) Report

Jun. 30 - The Isla refinery in Curacao provides jobs , but has attracted critics who say it contributes to pollution.

The refinery has been leased bu Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA since 1985. Norbert George of the Humane Care Foundation says Venezuela is not living up to the theme of social responsibility espoused by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Deborah Lutterbeck reports.

SOUNDBITES:

  • Spanish teacher Nancy Josefina, saying (English):
    "There is a lot of smoke and pollution from the refinery. Some children become ill, they have to go home or they'll get headaches or they just don't pay attention anymore to the classes. And the smell is terrible sometimes and some colleagues too get sick - they have to go home."
    Norbert George, of the Humane Care Foundation, saying (English):
    "Eighteen deaths per year premature, inflicting cancer, bronchitis, asthma and a lot of acute and chronic health problems due to the pollution, norm-exceeding pollution, of the refinery. We don't qualify that as social and we surely don't qualify that as socialism, so our message to the Venezuelan government would be 'practice what you preach.'"

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