"Egypt’s aluminum industry thrives on child labour", 26 august 2015

About half a century ago, Mit Ghamr in the north of Egypt was turned from a green agricultural region into a major center for aluminum cookware production. Back then, the new industry attracted thousands of farmers who left their fertile farmlands in the heart of the Nile Delta to compete for more lucrative factory jobs. The center now accounts for some 60 per cent of the aluminum cookware industry in Egypt, which employs approximately 40-50,000 people, including children.Work in the cramped and hot factory rooms begins at 10 in the morning and ends at 8 in the evening. After spending long hours in the aluminum factories or workshops, the workers’ faces are silver from the metal dust. The silver-colored dust floating in the air can destroy eye tissue, while inhalation of the dust particles can lead to lung nodular fibrosis, according to a study published by the Egyptian Ministry for Environmental Affairs...