Chileans sue Swedish mining company over toxic waste, demand $13.9 million in compensation
A group of 707 Chileans sued Swedish mining company Boliden on Monday, demanding 91 million kronor ($13.9 million) in compensation for health problems allegedly caused by toxic waste the company dumped in northern Chile. The lawsuit filed with a Swedish district court claims Boliden exported 20,000 tons of mining waste to the Chilean town of Arica in the mid-1980s, despite knowing it was highly toxic and could not be handled safely at the site…Boliden said it regrets what happened in Arica but claims the responsibility lies with Chilean authorities who allowed houses to be built near the dump site in the 1990s, and the Chilean company Promel that Boliden paid to take care of the waste.