Townspeople in La Oroya, a smoke-choked Andean town where St. Louis-based Doe Run Co. operates a metallurgical plant, have levels of toxic heavy metals in their bodies as much as 30 times higher than what is normal in the United States, according to a U.S. study released Tuesday.
LIMA, Peru — Townspeople in La Oroya, a smoke-choked Andean town where St. Louis-based Doe Run Co. operates a metallurgical plant, have levels of toxic heavy metals in their bodies as much as 30 times higher than what is normal in the United States, according to a U.S. study released Tuesday.
Previous studies found lead poisoning in the town, but Dr. Fernando Serrano, and his eight-member team from the Saint Louis University School of Public Health, detected high levels of other toxic metals.
"There are no studies before this one that measured those other toxic metals in the human body in the residents of La Oroya, so we're the first to do that," Serrano told The Associated Press. "From a public health perspective, clearly this evidence shows the need for urgent action."
The team found levels of cadmium, known to cause kidney failure and lung and prostate cancer, six times higher than normal levels in the United States.
Antimony, a silvery-white metal that can cause genetic defects and heart and lung problems, was 30 times higher than average U.S. levels.
!ADVERTISEMENT!
Elevated levels of arsenic, cesium and other toxic substances were also detected, Serrano's research team said in a statement.
Serrano said the study did not determine whether the elevated toxic metal levels in the residents' blood came from the metallurgical plant's smelter. Doe Run said the smelter was polluting the area for decades before it bought it eight years ago and that it has worked to decrease emissions from the facility. Further investigation was needed, Serrano added.
Serrano said elevated levels of heavy metals are "a cause of concern" and a "red flag" for public health officials but that his team would not be able characterize the precise health dangers until a final report is released, possibly by July.
"We recorded what we saw, and now we have to make an assessment of the risk," Serrano said, adding that the combination of various metals could affect women, men and children differently.
"This is just the first installment of results," he said. "Another study that is important to do is to begin to document the health effects in La Oroya."
La Oroya, with 35,000 residents, is located high in Peru's central Andes, 90 miles (140 kilometers) east of the capital, Lima.
Doe Run Peru is owned by the St. Louis-based Doe Run Co., the largest integrated lead producer in North America. Its Peru facility produces copper, lead, zinc and smaller amounts of gold, silver and other metals.
"Doe Run has not yet seen a copy of the report, so we cannot speak to what it contains," Doe Run spokeswoman Barbara Shepard said in an e-mail to AP.
But she said that the company "supports constructive dialogue and values the opinions of all those who share a vision for both creating a healthy and vibrant community in La Oroya."
Serrano said his team was asked to conduct an independent study by Rev. Pedro Ricardo Barreto, a local Catholic archbishop who represents several grass roots organizations in the Mantaro Valley.
Blood and urine samples taken in August from 360 men, women and children in La Oroya and the town of Concepcion, 50 miles (80 kilometers) away for comparison, were analyzed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia.
Cadmium levels in Concepcion _ located in the lush Mantaro Valley, known as the bread basket for Lima _ were 50 percent higher than average U.S. levels.
"Obviously, what this indicates is that the problem of contamination is not limited to La Oroya. It is a regional issue," Serrano said, adding that there was no scientific evidence to link the cadmium in Concepcion to Doe Run's operation.
Doe Run agreed to improve the facility to decrease emissions when it purchased the 82-year-old smelter in 1997 from state-owned Centromin, which ran the plant from 1974.
The company said it has invested more than US$140 million (euro120 million) to reduce lead emissions from the main stack by more than 28 percent since 1998, reduce worker blood lead levels by more than 34 percent since 1997 and lower total lead in the Mantaro River by more than 90 percent compared to 1994 levels.
Doe Run threatened last year to close its operations if the government did not grant an extension to complete environmental upgrades, including a US$100 million (euro85 million) sulfuric acid plant. The original deadline was the end of 2006 to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions.
The government agreed, issuing a decree to allow companies to modify their facility upgrade programs for "exceptional reasons" and receive specific-project extensions for up to four years.
A study late last year by the company and health authorities showed that more than 99 percent of nearly 800 children aged 6 and under living near the smelter had blood lead levels that exceeded international standards.
In April, Peruvian Judge Rosario Alfaro ordered the Ministry of Health to develop and implement a "public health emergency plan" to alleviate toxic emissions in La Oroya, but the Peruvian government appealed the ruling and the case is still pending.
Source: Associated Press
Contact Info:
