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Autumn

2016

Chemical Rubble: Historicizing Toxic Waste in a Former Mining Town in Northern Chile

Published
2016-12-30

Abstract

This short piece presents the case of Pabellón, a former mining town located in northern Chile. Although mineral processing finished long ago, it left behind a significant amount of highly toxic waste known as tailings, which is currently left abandoned in the vicinity of the town. As a way to bring back such toxins out of oblivion, the article proposes understanding tailings as chemical rubble, a key component of the chemical heritage of former mining activities. Such a notion should force us to care for such materials, both in historical and contemporary terms.