Capoacan Residents Blame Pemex Facilities for Water, Air Pollution

Residents of Capoacan in Veracruz state's Minatitlán municipality say a new coke plant and petroleum refinery are polluting the area and causing respiratory and skin diseases among the population.Fishermen and other locals claim the Lázaro Cárdenas refinery releases wastewater into the Coatzacoalcos River. They also complain of pollution from gases and powders."This river does not produce anything,” fisherman Gonzalo Alfonso, told La Jornada. “Everything is contaminated; there are no fish there, we must go further up to find anything, to escape the discharges. Everyone knows if you fish there, the fish taste like benzene and cause diarrhea, vomiting, and headaches...