CHILEAN MEN ATOP A HILL OVERLOOKING SMOG-COVERED SANTIAGO, 2003-05-18 (photo)

Chilean men stand on a hill overlooking smog-covered Santiago, as the Chilean government declared an environmental alert because air quality had worsened to hazardous levels, May 19, 2003. For most of the year, an impressive setting beneath the towering Andes Mountains is one of the grand attractions of the Chilean capital, Santiago. But between May and August, the Andes can't even be seen through a blanket of toxic smog. A recent poll showed Latin American executives viewed Santiago and Sao Paulo, Brazil, as the best cities in the region in which to do business. But they wouldn't want to live there. They also said smog was the biggest obstacle to the Chilean government's drive to lure foreign investors. Pictures of the Year 2003 REUTERS/Carlos Barria/FEATURE/ENVIRONMENT-CHILE-SMOG CB/GN