For nearly a century, the smoke that has billowed from the Met-Mex Peñoles plant here has signified prosperity. The venerable company, the largest refiner of gold and silver in Latin America and the fourth largest in the world, churned out 36 million ounces of the precious metals last year, generating sales of $771 million despite a two-decade low in gold and silver prices. It also refines 98% of all Mexican lead, as well as vast amounts of zinc and cadmium. Yet the complex’s clouds of smoke and dust have held no silver lining for Luís Echeverría, a neighborhood of squat, concrete-block houses immediately beyond the refinery fence. Pollutants have wafted into nearby streets, patios and kitchens, including highly toxic lead dust that... [Log in to read more]