Stung Meanchey

At around 10:00 am Sok's son Kosal arrives on the family's bike to begin work alongside his brother. Today, I have been at the dump photographing for only several hours, yet already I'm feeling nauseous…it seems impossible that people could return here day after day. When I ask Kosal what he's looking for, he replies "I'm looking for something good, something I can sell,". Undeterred by my questioning he continues poking through a small mound of rotting fruit, tin cans, medical waste and condoms, and adds, "I want to earn money to help my family".

(A two year study by Japan's Ehime University's Center for Environmental Studies, showed high levels of carcinogenic dioxin in the area and noted that workers at the dump are exposed to high concentrations of mercury, cesium and cadmium which affect the nervous, endocrine and immune systems).