"A Portrait of an Egyptian Neighborhood Breathing Toxic Dust", 7 August 2018

Wadi el-Qamar — or Moon Valley — is a teeming residential quarter in western Alexandria, one of Egypt's largest cities...Today, black clouds of exhaust billow from the chimneys of the Alexandria Portland Cement Company, a subsidiary of a Greek cement and building materials producer, less than a mile away. Because Moon Valley lies directly in the path of the factory's emissions, toxic cement dust blankets the homes of nearly half of its residents, leading to numerous cases of chest infections and asthma. The Egyptian photographer Mohamed Mahdy brings the issue to light in his project, "Moon Dust."...Mr. Mahdy — using black and white to expose "raw feelings" — juxtaposed an image of Yousef, a boy with asthma who is confined to his home, with another image of children playing soccer...In one portrait, we see Amal, 11, wearing a breathing mask. In another, we see an X-ray of her weakened lungs. She developed asthma months after moving to Moon Valley at age 3, and has to wear the mask every day...Mr. Mahdy said some residents have been trying to call attention to the problem for 10 years. They have repeatedly filed complaints to the Ministry of Environment and taken legal steps against the factory over its harmful emissions. But rather than address the issue, the plant urged the community members, most of whom are impoverished, to relocate.