Editing Santiago (section)

==Environmental issues==
Santiago has a serious [[air pollution]] problem.<ref>[http://en.mercopress.com/2007/06/29/severe-air-pollution-plagues-chilean-cities "Severe air pollution plagues Chilean cities"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140525232346/http://en.mercopress.com/2007/06/29/severe-air-pollution-plagues-chilean-cities |date=25 May 2014}} 29 June 2007.</ref> Despite a decrease in air pollution in the 1990s, the level of pollution has not significantly improved since 2000. In fact, a study conducted by a Chilean university in 2010 showed that the pollution levels in Santiago had doubled since 2002.<ref>{{cite web |last=Morales |first=Pamela |date=26 January 2010 |title=Chilean University Finds Santiago Pollution Has Doubled |url=http://www.santiagotimes.cl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18110:chilean-university-finds-santiago-pollution-has-doubled&catid=44:environmental&Itemid=40 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100131110724/http://www.santiagotimes.cl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18110:chilean-university-finds-santiago-pollution-has-doubled&catid=44:environmental&Itemid=40 |archive-date=31 January 2010 |access-date=27 January 2010 |publisher=[[The Santiago Times]] |quote=A new study by Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH) shows fine particulate matter from construction and traffic has more than doubled in the Santiago metropolitan region over the past eight years.}}</ref> Particulate matter air pollution, specifically PM2.5 and PM10, frequently exceeds the standards set by the [[US Environmental Protection Agency]] and the [[World Health Organization]], posing a significant threat to public health.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Valdez |first=Ana |display-authors=etal |year=2012 |title=Elemental concentrations of ambient particles and cause specific mortality in Santiago, Chile: a time series study. |journal=Environmental Health |volume=11 |issue=1 |page=82 |doi=10.1186/1476-069x-11-82 |pmc=3519772 |pmid=23116481 |bibcode=2012EnvHe..11...82V |doi-access=free}}</ref>

One of the major sources of air pollution in Santiago is the [[El Teniente]] copper mine smelter, which operates year-round.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cipma.cl |url=http://www.cipma.cl/RAD/1990/1_Duran.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913150750/http://www.cipma.cl/RAD/1990/1_Duran.pdf |archive-date=13 September 2008 |access-date=17 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bio.puc.cl |url=http://www.bio.puc.cl/cursos/bio229p/mineria.doc |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325125024/http://www.bio.puc.cl/cursos/bio229p/mineria.doc |archive-date=25 March 2009 |access-date=17 April 2010}}</ref> The government typically does not classify it as a local pollution source, as it is located just outside the reporting area of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, 110 kilometers from downtown.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pedro Oyola |title=the role of monitoring in air quality management |url=http://www.conama.cl/rm/568/articles-42825_recurso_2.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325125023/http://www.conama.cl/rm/568/articles-42825_recurso_2.pdf |archive-date=25 March 2009 |access-date=21 July 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=14 May 2008 |title=Conoma.cl |url=http://www.conama.cl/rm/568/article-42825.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517234358/http://www.conama.cl/rm/568/article-42825.html |archive-date=17 May 2008 |access-date=17 April 2010 |publisher=Conama.cl}}</ref>{{Clear}}During the winter months, [[Inversion (meteorology)|thermal inversion]] can trap and concentrate smog and air pollution in the Central Valley.

Santiago has made progress in treating its wastewater, with the Mapocho Wastewater Treatment Plant starting operations in March 2012. This increased the city's wastewater treatment capacity to 100%, making Santiago the first capital city in Latin America to treat all of its municipal sewage.{{wide image|Sierraderamon.png|700px|align-cap=center|Panoramic view of northeastern Santiago, as seen from the hills of Parque Metropolitano in Providencia. Visible in the background are [[Apoquindo]] and [[Sierra de Ramón]].}}

[[Free-ranging dog|Stray dogs]] are a common sight in Santiago,<ref>[http://cachandochile.wordpress.com/2009/04/14/chile-its-a-dogs-world/ Chile: It’s a Dog’s World] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110918050522/http://cachandochile.wordpress.com/2009/04/14/chile-its-a-dogs-world/ |date=18 September 2011 }} (Retrieved 4 August 2011)</ref><ref>[http://davidlansing.com/the-strays-of-santiago/ The strays of Santiago] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113072720/http://davidlansing.com/the-strays-of-santiago/ |date=13 January 2012 }} 17 June 2009 (Retrieved 4 August 2011)</ref> but the country as a whole has a low incidence of rabies.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Medscape: Medscape Access |url=http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/423536 |access-date=1 August 2015 |website=medscape.com |archive-date=16 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516081318/http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/423536 |url-status=live }}</ref>