Cubatão

Cubatão is a city in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, 12 kilometers away from Santos seaport, the largest in Latin America. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Baixada Santista.[2] The population is 131,626 (2020 est.) in an area of 142.88 km2.[3] It hosts industries, refining oil, steel mills and fertilizers. The municipality was created by state law in 1948.[4] In the early 1980s, Cubatão was one of the most polluted cities in the world, nicknamed "Valley of Death", due to births of brainless children and respiratory, hepatic and blood illnesses. High air pollution was killing forest over hills around the city. It was ranked the top ten dirtiest cities in the world by Popular Science.[citation needed]