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La Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH) solicitó al Estado Peruano, el pasado viernes 31 de agosto, la implementación de medidas cautelares urgentes para proteger la salud, la integridad y la vida de los pobladores de La Oroya, Perú por la grave contaminación ambiental generada por el Complejo Metalúrgico de Doe Run Perú, ubicado en la referida ciudad peruana. Esta decisión beneficiará por ahora, a sesenta y cinco personas, incluyendo más de treinta niños en particular estado de vulnerabilidad y personas mayores que sufren de graves problemas respiratorios.
La decisión se produjo a partir de una solicitud presentada por Carlos Chirinos, de la Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental (SPDA); la Asociación Interamericana para la Defensa del Ambiente (AIDA); Earthjustice y CEDHA el 21 de noviembre de 2005. Tal solicitud denuncia la ausencia regulatoria del Estado Peruano, frente a las graves violaciones a los derechos humanos que los pobladores de La Oroya sufren por la contaminación producida por Doe Run.
"Las medidas son fundamentales pues reiteran lo dicho por el Tribunal Constitucional de Perú, quienes consideraron insuficientes las acciones de prevención y atención de la salud promovidas hasta ahora. Es esencial continuar insistiendo en las demás acciones para controlar la contaminación ", señaló Astrid Puentes, Directora Legal de AIDA.
En cuanto al contenido de las medidas, la CIDH ordena al Estado Peruano brindar diagnóstico médico especializado para las personas afectadas por la contaminación de Doe Run. Al mismo tiempo, se solicita al Gobierno, a proveer de tratamientos médicos especializados para cualquier individuo en situación de peligro de muerte o daño irreparable.
Al respecto, Carlos Chirinos, de la SPDA aseguró "Esperamos tener una coordinación fluida con las autoridades del Estado para garantizar la aplicación transparente y eficaz de estas medidas. El soporte de instituciones como la Defensoría del Pueblo y otras entidades es crucial", aseguró el abogado peruano.
"Al ordenar al Perú proteger las personas de La Oroya, la Comisión apoya a quienes están amenazados por contaminación tóxica extrema en el hemisferio" sostuvo Martin Wagner de Earthjustice. "Reconoce además que este tipo de contaminación viola derechos humanos y el derecho internacional, por lo cual se exige a los Estados que eviten estas tragedias y tomen acciones para remediarlas cuando ocurren", agregó. Cabe resaltar que la CIDH tiene pendiente por resolver una demanda presentada por las mismas organizaciones en la que se busca mejorar las fuentes de contaminación y establecer la responsabilidad del Estado por los derechos humanos afectados.
* Fuente
http://www.aida-americas.org/aida.php?page=13&lang=es
jueves
GOBIERNO RETORNARÁ FIANZA A DOE RUN CUANDO CUMPLA SU PAMA
El Ministerio de Energía y Minas (MEM) confirmó que ejecutó una carta-fianza a Doe Run por US$14 millones el lunes, tal como lo revelara El Comercio. Según informó el ministro Pedro Sánchez, la minera tenía que renovar la carta-fianza para que esta no sea ejecutada, pero no lo hizo, razón por la que el Gobierno debió realizar el cobro respectivo.
El ministro explicó que los US$14 millones serán retornados a la empresa una vez que esta culmine el Programa de Adecuación y Manejo Ambiental (PAMA) en los próximos 26 meses (que es el tiempo que le resta a la minera de los 30 meses de plazo otorgados por el Congreso).
Como se recuerda, el vicepresidente de asuntos ambientales de Doe Run, José Mogrovejo, consideraba inadecuado el hecho de que el Ministerio de Energía y Minas ejecutara la carta-fianza, sobre todo cuando la minera intentaba recuperarse y volver a operar.
Doe Run informó, mediante un comunicado, que si bien estaban próximos a lograr un acuerdo con sus proveedores para reanudar sus operaciones en La Oroya, esto requerirá del entendimiento y de la flexibilidad del ministerio.
Por su parte, los trabajadores de Doe Run realizaron la primera reunión (de un total de tres) para definir su posición frente al problema. El secretario general del sindicato de empleados, Luis Mantari, informó que esperaban llegar a una pronta solución.
El ministro explicó que los US$14 millones serán retornados a la empresa una vez que esta culmine el Programa de Adecuación y Manejo Ambiental (PAMA) en los próximos 26 meses (que es el tiempo que le resta a la minera de los 30 meses de plazo otorgados por el Congreso).
Como se recuerda, el vicepresidente de asuntos ambientales de Doe Run, José Mogrovejo, consideraba inadecuado el hecho de que el Ministerio de Energía y Minas ejecutara la carta-fianza, sobre todo cuando la minera intentaba recuperarse y volver a operar.
Doe Run informó, mediante un comunicado, que si bien estaban próximos a lograr un acuerdo con sus proveedores para reanudar sus operaciones en La Oroya, esto requerirá del entendimiento y de la flexibilidad del ministerio.
Por su parte, los trabajadores de Doe Run realizaron la primera reunión (de un total de tres) para definir su posición frente al problema. El secretario general del sindicato de empleados, Luis Mantari, informó que esperaban llegar a una pronta solución.
domingo
COMISIÓN INTERAMERICANA DE DERECHOS HUMANOS SOLICITA AL ESTADO MEDIDAS DE URGENCIA PARA PROTEGER VIDA DE POBLADORES DE LA OROYA
La Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH) solicitó al Estado Peruano, el pasado viernes 31 de agosto, la implementación de medidas cautelares urgentes para proteger la salud, la integridad y la vida de los pobladores de La Oroya, Perú por la grave contaminación ambiental generada por el Complejo Metalúrgico de Doe Run Perú, ubicado en la referida ciudad peruana. Esta decisión beneficiará por ahora, a sesenta y cinco personas, incluyendo más de treinta niños en particular estado de vulnerabilidad y personas mayores que sufren de graves problemas respiratorios.
La decisión se produjo a partir de una solicitud presentada por Carlos Chirinos, de la Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental (SPDA); la Asociación Interamericana para la Defensa del Ambiente (AIDA); Earthjustice y CEDHA el 21 de noviembre de 2005. Tal solicitud denuncia la ausencia regulatoria del Estado Peruano, frente a las graves violaciones a los derechos humanos que los pobladores de La Oroya sufren por la contaminación producida por Doe Run.
"Las medidas son fundamentales pues reiteran lo dicho por el Tribunal Constitucional de Perú, quienes consideraron insuficientes las acciones de prevención y atención de la salud promovidas hasta ahora. Es esencial continuar insistiendo en las demás acciones para controlar la contaminación ", señaló Astrid Puentes, Directora Legal de AIDA.
En cuanto al contenido de las medidas, la CIDH ordena al Estado Peruano brindar diagnóstico médico especializado para las personas afectadas por la contaminación de Doe Run. Al mismo tiempo, se solicita al Gobierno, a proveer de tratamientos médicos especializados para cualquier individuo en situación de peligro de muerte o daño irreparable.
Al respecto, Carlos Chirinos, de la SPDA aseguró "Esperamos tener una coordinación fluida con las autoridades del Estado para garantizar la aplicación transparente y eficaz de estas medidas. El soporte de instituciones como la Defensoría del Pueblo y otras entidades es crucial", aseguró el abogado peruano.
"Al ordenar al Perú proteger las personas de La Oroya, la Comisión apoya a quienes están amenazados por contaminación tóxica extrema en el hemisferio" sostuvo Martin Wagner de Earthjustice. "Reconoce además que este tipo de contaminación viola derechos humanos y el derecho internacional, por lo cual se exige a los Estados que eviten estas tragedias y tomen acciones para remediarlas cuando ocurren", agregó. Cabe resaltar que la CIDH tiene pendiente por resolver una demanda presentada por las mismas organizaciones en la que se busca mejorar las fuentes de contaminación y establecer la responsabilidad del Estado por los derechos humanos afectados.
* Fuente
http://www.aida-americas.org/aida.php?page=13&lang=es
sábado
MINERA DOE RUN SE NIEGA A PAGAR MULTA
Doe Run , la empresa minera más contaminadora del Perú informó que apeló la resolución del Organismo Supervisor de la Inversión en Energía y Minería (Osinergmin), del 17 de agosto último, en la cual sancionó a la empresa con 210 Unidades Impositivas Tributarias (UIT), (S/. 724,500), por las infracciones a las normas de conservación y protección del medio ambiente. Una vez más Doe Run se burla de las leyes peruanas y hace caso omiso a la multa que le fue impuesta por una serie de faltas graves: como haber superado los Límites Máximos Permisibles de emisiones atmosféricas , respecto al parámetro de "partículas"; efectuar vertimientos al río Mantaro sin autorización y sin adoptar medidas de previsión y control; superar los Límites Máximos Permisibles de efluentes mineros metalúrgicos para un punto de vertimiento; emitir dióxido de azufre sin medidas de previsión y control; transportar inadecuadamente las ferritas, en otra joyitas que hablan del " excelente" comportamiento ambiental de Doe Run. Ira Rennert y compañía prometen seguir haciendo méritos para que ningún megaconsorcio ose arrebatarles el primer lugar como empresa innovadora en la búsqueda de estrategias para continuar contaminando al Perú .
sábado
El 99% de los niños de la Oroya presentan elevados de niveles de plomo en la sangre
Todos los habitantes de La Oroya tienen algún nivel de plomo en la sangre. Eso es innegable, pero los más vulnerables son los niños menores de 6 años y las madres gestantes. Un estudio realizado recientemente por la Universidad de San Luis de Missouri y el Ministerio de Salud del Perú demostró que el 99% de los niños menores de cinco años en La Oroya tienen altos niveles de plomo en la sangre. Esto genera consecuencias que pueden ir desde la pérdida de apetito hasta la muerte. El 82% de los 788 niños examinados tienen entre 20 y 44.9 microgramos de plomo por decilitro de sangre; y el 8.4% tiene entre 45 y 69 microgramos, cuando el límite permitido por la Organización Mundial de la Salud es de 10 microgramos. Pese a la gravedad del problema y frente a los resultados, la transnacional Doe Run aún no se ha manifestado. Hasta ahora se niega a instalar los equipos de control de aire para reducir la emisión de gases tóxicos, se niega a construir una planta de ácido sulfúrico para capturar las grandes cantidades de óxido de azufre de sus plantas que son arrojados al río Mantaro y se niega a descontaminar los suelos y las casas de los más de32 mil humildes pobladores de la Oroya. La contaminación continúa subiendo en los últimos años al punto que se calcula que para el 2011, las emisiones de plomo en La Oroya serán once veces mayores que las del complejo de Doe Run en Herculaneum (EEUU).
Esta situación se agrava si se tiene en cuenta que el año pasado, Doe Run Perú generó 150 millones de dólares en utilidades; sobre ganancias que no se han visto reflejadas en la modernización del Complejo Metalúrgico de La Oroya, que emite 1.000.000 de kilos de dióxido de azufre, plomo y arsénico por día. Los niños y pobladores de la Oroya continúan esperando se respete sus principales derechos, hasta ahora el presidente Alan García no se ha pronunciado sobre el caso dando entender su flexibilidad y sumisión ante la empresa norteamericana.
Esta situación se agrava si se tiene en cuenta que el año pasado, Doe Run Perú generó 150 millones de dólares en utilidades; sobre ganancias que no se han visto reflejadas en la modernización del Complejo Metalúrgico de La Oroya, que emite 1.000.000 de kilos de dióxido de azufre, plomo y arsénico por día. Los niños y pobladores de la Oroya continúan esperando se respete sus principales derechos, hasta ahora el presidente Alan García no se ha pronunciado sobre el caso dando entender su flexibilidad y sumisión ante la empresa norteamericana.
viernes
LA OROYA: LA QUINTA CIUDAD MÁS CONTAMINADA DEL MUNDO
Chernobyl
El instituto Blacksmith, integrado por científicos, académicos y organismos ecológicos de todo el mundo, después de una profunda investigación elaboraron una lista con las 10 ciudades más contaminadas, entre la que figura la Ciudad de La Oroya como la quinta ciudad más contaminada del planeta. Las 35 000 personas que viven en la capital metalúrgica del Perú están potencialmente envenenadas por plomo y otros metales pesados. Según el Instituto Blacksmith, la planta propiedad de la empresa estadounidense Doe Run "es en gran parte responsable de los altos niveles de plomo que se han encontrado en los pobladores de la comunidad andina". Los estudios llevados a cabo por el Ministerio de Salud del Perú indican que el 99,9% de los niños menores de 6 años tienen altos niveles de plomo en la sangre, lo que puede causar cáncer o parálisis ,y los bebés pueden nacer con deficiencias mentales. A continuación la lista de las 10 ciudades más contaminadas
1. Chernobyl, Ucrania
2. Dzerzhinsk, Rusia
3. Haina, República Dominicana
4. Kabwe, Zambia
5. La Oroya, Perú
6. Linfen, China
7. Maiuu Suu, Kirguistán
8. Norilsk, Rusia
9. Ranipet, India
10. Rudnaya Pristan,Rusia
LA OROYA: LA QUINTA CIUDAD MÁS CONTAMINADA DEL MUNDO
1. Chernobyl, Ucrania
2. Dzerzhinsk, Rusia
3. Haina, República Dominicana
4. Kabwe, Zambia
5. La Oroya, Perú
6. Linfen, China
7. Maiuu Suu, Kirguistán
8. Norilsk, Rusia
9. Ranipet, India
10. Rudnaya Pristan,Rusia
jueves
THE CHILDREN OF LEAD
There is a place in the world where birds do not fly, where the trees and children do not grow, where lead is everyday's bread...
It is said that every child is born with a loaf of bread under his arm. Unfortunately, this old proverb does not apply in La Oroya, Peru, where five thousand children live with very high levels of lead in their blood. In La Oroya (a city in the Andes located 180 kilometers south east of Lima), lead, cadmium, sulfuric dioxide, and other toxic materials causing acid rain, are found in the bodies of the thirty- three thousand people who live there.
A yellowish smoke covers the sky of La Oroya. In March of 2007, a bus took us in front of the chimneys of the plant owned by DOE RUN CO., the biggest lead producer in North America. The panorama can't be more chilling: black and copper smoke with the smell of death come out of the smelter's chimneys. Only 200 meters from the metallurgical facility, children play soccer carefreely, and with each breath swallow the toxic dust that travels in the air. The schools, the streets, the hospital, and the houses are covered with this metallic dust; the pine trees do not grow, and the flowers are scarce. The beauty that existed before is now ash-grey. La Oroya is the fifth most contaminated place in the world according to the Blacksmith Institute, a conservative organization based in New York City. Chernobyl, where occurred the worst nuclear accident of the history, is first on the list of the 10 most contaminated cities.
We can see a few people walking around with masks, and others using handkerchiefs. The majority use their hands to cover their nose and mouth, so that they won't inhale the sulfuric air."Before, it lasted only hours, now they emit those gases all day long", Julia Zolano tells us, a woman who owns a candy shop in the outskirts of the plant. The smelter spews out more than 800 tons of sulfuric dioxide daily in the atmosphere, exceeding five times the limits established by the peruvian laws.
It is impossible to walk in the narrow streets of La Oroya, because throat itchiness and eye irritation is unavoidable. We don't understand how people can live this way. Maribel Velarde, the person in charge of doing the first blood analysis on the children of La Oroya, tells us that , with time, one gets used to it; She shows us the results of the studies done by the Health Ministry on 788 children under 7 years old. The numbers are outrageous: 99.9 percent have lead in their system, an average of 41 micrograms per deciliter of blood, four times more than the hazard limit allowed by the World Health Organization. Small children and pregnant women are affected the most.
The frightening thing about lead contamination is that, initially, it doesn't show any visible signs, since its action is very slow. It is known that it affects the nervous system, causes agressiveness, fatigue, anemia, learning and growing deficiency, and, in high dose, can cause death.
Dengel is a nine year old boy, but because of his size and weight, he looks like a six year old. His brother's history, Reiner, is no different : he is seven years old, hardly measures one meter and weighs 18 kilos. Their father, Melitón Rivera, tells us that his sons cough all the time, and that they suffer a lot from stomach pain. Melitón and his wife can not sleep when they think about their children's future. « When the smoke comes, we close the windows and the door, because our eyes and throat itch. Nobody will remove the lead that is already in our body. What we're looking for is compensation, and for them to relocate us ». Dengel runs to us, and with the freedom of children tells us : « Me and my friends want them to take the chimney down. It's very ugly and the smoke is bad». The look in Reiner's and Dengel's eyes is somber. It is unusual for a child in La Oroya to smile, the lead took away their innocence and the joy of childhood. Reiner dreams of being a good doctor some day, so that he can cure his parents and his friends.
Since 1997, the year in which DOE RUN bought the metallurgical facility, the levels of lead poisoning have increased. DOE RUN is part of RENCO GROUP, whose main shareholder is the controversial multimillionaire Ira Rennert. His companies are facing more than a hundred lawsuits in the United States for causing air pollution and endangering public health. His magnesium production company in Utah declared bankruptcy after federal officials charged it of illegally handling hazardous waste. Rennert's main company is a lead foundry in Herculaneum, Missouri, an enterprise accused of contaminating the population. Since the laws are more rigorous in United States, the company was forced to give a compensation and relocate 2800 persons who lived near the smelter. Unfortunately, in our country, things are very different, since there are laws on paper, but they are not enforced. The general corruption and the absence of civil awareness contribute to let those megaconsortiums do what they want. So much so that the ministry of Energy and Mines, in an unprecedented gesture, accepted for the ninth time DOE RUN's request to extend until 2009 the fulfillment of its environmental operating agreement known by its Spanish acronym PAMA, a program that the company had promised to achieve when they acquired the metallurgical facility from CENTROMIN. Presently, DOE RUN doesn't pay income taxes to the country, nor dividends to its 3000 and more employees working in the smelters. In view of all this, the social leader Miguel Curi gathered many families to appear before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, to ask the company and the State for compensation. He says :«We don't believe in DOE RUN anymore. When they came, they promised to reduce the emissions. I have been living in La Oroya for 22 years, but six years ago, when I found out that my son had lead in his blood, I learned about the irreversible damages it causes to one's health. Last year, the company quintupled its profits, reaching 150 million dollars . In spite of all this, they do not want to build the two sulfuric acid plants which would reduce gas and metal emissions in the atmosphere by 85%.»
Curi must take his two children away from the city on weekends, so that they can get away from the fumes, but most people do not have the financial means to do the same. The rebellious leader from La Oroya is our guide, and he takes us to several homes where people have decided to break the silence, but those people who dare speak of the subject are labeled as « traitors » in the town. DOE RUN is the main source of income in La Oroya : 80% of its residents make a living directly or indirectly from the smelter, and the company always threatens to leave if the denunciations continue.
The environmental delegates are a group of seventy housewives chosen by the company to carry out cleansing campaigns on the streets and in households. They are DOE RUN's most effective eyes and ears . When they find out about our presence, one of them approaches us on the street, and asks the reasons for our visit. Afterwards, she lowers her voice, and tells us that the company gives toys to their sons and Barbie dolls to their daughters at Christmas, that they built a public dining-room and showers, and that there is a day-care center in Casaracra (one of the neighbouring villages), where they teach and feed the children. When she realizes that we do not contradict her, the woman gives us a challenging look and leaves. Casaracra is a day-care center created after an agreement between the Health Ministry and DOE RUN, but provides care to 75 children only (the most serious cases), inadequate attention for the enormous children population intoxicated.
We climb up the steep stairs leading to Gloriapata and Picuypata. A few skinny dogs welcome us. Those are the most contaminated barrios in old La Oroya's high zone. The houses are made of brick, have only one room, and the walls and windows are covered with soot. People do not have potable water or basic sanitation. Women have to wash their clothes on the street, in public sinks. None of them want their children to go outside because the grey dust is everywhere, and they can get it even in their mouth.
We visit the Ynga family. Two of their three children died from exposure to lead and other cancerigenic metals. Mercedes Ynga refuses to acknowledge that due to her testimony on a national channel, she received death threats from the ex-mayor Clemente Quincho. She, along with her husband and daughter, had to flee to Lima for two weeks, to protect their own lives. At our insistence, she finally accepts to talk to us. «My daughter died at 17, after suffering for 9 years, with 82 micrograms of arsenic in her system. She had spots on her skin, fever at night, and the doctors at the hospital Guillermo Almenara, bribed by the company, did not tell us what she had. My other son died when he was one year and three months old. He was born with cancer, a malignant brain tumor.» Mercedes' voice falters, her hands begin to shake, and tears run down her pink cheeks. Her husband, Martin, a robust 40 years old man, takes her in his arms, and they both cry. Mercedes now goes from door to door to give advise to the women of La Oroya. She doesn't want another mother to suffer what she suffered. «We are not afraid anymore, and little by little we bring awareness to the people», she says, as we are about to leave.
We cross the tortuous barrios of La Oroya,and the stories repeat themselves. La Oroya is a city covered by a dark veil, rarely can you see the sunshine . At night, you can not even see the stars. It looks like if a meteorite had passed and, on its way, had burned the trees, the birds, and the residents' dream to breathe fresh air. The hillsides, where most of the city's population live in a chaotic concentration, are charred. The life in the Mantaro and Yauli rivers has disappeared. Grandparents tell us that, formerly, there were vast pastures and green hills, and one could catch trouts in the rivers.
Agustin Mamani is a cheminal engineer who worked for DOE RUN during 30 years. He tells us that the smelter uses petroleum residues, scrap metal, and concentrated poison that other countries do not accept.
He also informs us that the case of La Oroya is no longer a local problem, but a national one. The water for domestic use contains lead, zinc, arsenic, and other contaminating materials, and so do the soil and the air. The artichokes, the corn, and various produce that leave the central zone to be sold in the main markets of the Capital are contaminated. We insist on the danger of the particulate material, because particles reach your lungs, and since they are so small that they can travel up to four days before they settle somewhere, the cloud of lead threatens to reach Lima.
After listening to these horrifying testimonies, we ask for a meeting with the Head of the environment department at DOE RUN, the engineer Jorge Miranda, who agrees to meet with us very early the following day.
At the agreed time, we wait for him in the hall of the building with thousands of questions in our heads. Many hours pass, and Miranda inexplicably doesn't authorize our entry to the factory. After many calls to his cell phone, he finally answers, only to cancel the appointment, saying that he has lots of accumulated work. Therefore he invites us to a new meeting, but the scene repeats itself in the afternoon:his cell phone is turned off, and the secretary claims that she doesn't know where he is. The Head of the environment department literally vanished.
Even if the mayor of La Oroya, César Gutiérrez, strongly promises us to oversee the execution of the environment plan, the future of the city is uncertain. Many people in authority have been seduced by the appealing smell of money, like Jesús Díaz, head of Essalud, who lives in DOE RUN's workers' houses.
«There are days when I think about leaving», Epson Núñez tells me. He's the young father of Mirella, a one year old girl, who frequently has convulsions and mood changes. Her health condition worsens on days when gas emissions are more intense. « We want DOE RUN's owners to think about the children of La Oroya. We fight for our children , so that they won't suffer because of our inactions.»
It is distressful to see the profound disparity that exists in the world. While Rennert lives with his children in a mansion in Long Island twice the size of the White House, an entire town is slowly dying in the peruvian Andes.
It is urgent that DOE RUN reduces its production like it did at the Missouri plant. The State must develop an essential health plan that will declare La Oroya in a state of emergengy. It should not take two more years before they build the two sulfuric acid plants. Children do not understand legal matters nor petty interests, they only want to grow up and run freely, and feel the wind caress their faces. Let's make this universal right possible, let's raise our voices a thousand times , let's not allow Dengel's, Reiner's, Mirella's, and a whole new generation's life and dreams to be «OF LEAD».
If you want to know more about the way you can collaborate to our awareness campaign, send us a message to : lassumasvoces@gmail.com
It is said that every child is born with a loaf of bread under his arm. Unfortunately, this old proverb does not apply in La Oroya, Peru, where five thousand children live with very high levels of lead in their blood. In La Oroya (a city in the Andes located 180 kilometers south east of Lima), lead, cadmium, sulfuric dioxide, and other toxic materials causing acid rain, are found in the bodies of the thirty- three thousand people who live there.
A yellowish smoke covers the sky of La Oroya. In March of 2007, a bus took us in front of the chimneys of the plant owned by DOE RUN CO., the biggest lead producer in North America. The panorama can't be more chilling: black and copper smoke with the smell of death come out of the smelter's chimneys. Only 200 meters from the metallurgical facility, children play soccer carefreely, and with each breath swallow the toxic dust that travels in the air. The schools, the streets, the hospital, and the houses are covered with this metallic dust; the pine trees do not grow, and the flowers are scarce. The beauty that existed before is now ash-grey. La Oroya is the fifth most contaminated place in the world according to the Blacksmith Institute, a conservative organization based in New York City. Chernobyl, where occurred the worst nuclear accident of the history, is first on the list of the 10 most contaminated cities.
We can see a few people walking around with masks, and others using handkerchiefs. The majority use their hands to cover their nose and mouth, so that they won't inhale the sulfuric air."Before, it lasted only hours, now they emit those gases all day long", Julia Zolano tells us, a woman who owns a candy shop in the outskirts of the plant. The smelter spews out more than 800 tons of sulfuric dioxide daily in the atmosphere, exceeding five times the limits established by the peruvian laws.
It is impossible to walk in the narrow streets of La Oroya, because throat itchiness and eye irritation is unavoidable. We don't understand how people can live this way. Maribel Velarde, the person in charge of doing the first blood analysis on the children of La Oroya, tells us that , with time, one gets used to it; She shows us the results of the studies done by the Health Ministry on 788 children under 7 years old. The numbers are outrageous: 99.9 percent have lead in their system, an average of 41 micrograms per deciliter of blood, four times more than the hazard limit allowed by the World Health Organization. Small children and pregnant women are affected the most.
The frightening thing about lead contamination is that, initially, it doesn't show any visible signs, since its action is very slow. It is known that it affects the nervous system, causes agressiveness, fatigue, anemia, learning and growing deficiency, and, in high dose, can cause death.
Dengel is a nine year old boy, but because of his size and weight, he looks like a six year old. His brother's history, Reiner, is no different : he is seven years old, hardly measures one meter and weighs 18 kilos. Their father, Melitón Rivera, tells us that his sons cough all the time, and that they suffer a lot from stomach pain. Melitón and his wife can not sleep when they think about their children's future. « When the smoke comes, we close the windows and the door, because our eyes and throat itch. Nobody will remove the lead that is already in our body. What we're looking for is compensation, and for them to relocate us ». Dengel runs to us, and with the freedom of children tells us : « Me and my friends want them to take the chimney down. It's very ugly and the smoke is bad». The look in Reiner's and Dengel's eyes is somber. It is unusual for a child in La Oroya to smile, the lead took away their innocence and the joy of childhood. Reiner dreams of being a good doctor some day, so that he can cure his parents and his friends.
Since 1997, the year in which DOE RUN bought the metallurgical facility, the levels of lead poisoning have increased. DOE RUN is part of RENCO GROUP, whose main shareholder is the controversial multimillionaire Ira Rennert. His companies are facing more than a hundred lawsuits in the United States for causing air pollution and endangering public health. His magnesium production company in Utah declared bankruptcy after federal officials charged it of illegally handling hazardous waste. Rennert's main company is a lead foundry in Herculaneum, Missouri, an enterprise accused of contaminating the population. Since the laws are more rigorous in United States, the company was forced to give a compensation and relocate 2800 persons who lived near the smelter. Unfortunately, in our country, things are very different, since there are laws on paper, but they are not enforced. The general corruption and the absence of civil awareness contribute to let those megaconsortiums do what they want. So much so that the ministry of Energy and Mines, in an unprecedented gesture, accepted for the ninth time DOE RUN's request to extend until 2009 the fulfillment of its environmental operating agreement known by its Spanish acronym PAMA, a program that the company had promised to achieve when they acquired the metallurgical facility from CENTROMIN. Presently, DOE RUN doesn't pay income taxes to the country, nor dividends to its 3000 and more employees working in the smelters. In view of all this, the social leader Miguel Curi gathered many families to appear before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, to ask the company and the State for compensation. He says :«We don't believe in DOE RUN anymore. When they came, they promised to reduce the emissions. I have been living in La Oroya for 22 years, but six years ago, when I found out that my son had lead in his blood, I learned about the irreversible damages it causes to one's health. Last year, the company quintupled its profits, reaching 150 million dollars . In spite of all this, they do not want to build the two sulfuric acid plants which would reduce gas and metal emissions in the atmosphere by 85%.»
Curi must take his two children away from the city on weekends, so that they can get away from the fumes, but most people do not have the financial means to do the same. The rebellious leader from La Oroya is our guide, and he takes us to several homes where people have decided to break the silence, but those people who dare speak of the subject are labeled as « traitors » in the town. DOE RUN is the main source of income in La Oroya : 80% of its residents make a living directly or indirectly from the smelter, and the company always threatens to leave if the denunciations continue.
The environmental delegates are a group of seventy housewives chosen by the company to carry out cleansing campaigns on the streets and in households. They are DOE RUN's most effective eyes and ears . When they find out about our presence, one of them approaches us on the street, and asks the reasons for our visit. Afterwards, she lowers her voice, and tells us that the company gives toys to their sons and Barbie dolls to their daughters at Christmas, that they built a public dining-room and showers, and that there is a day-care center in Casaracra (one of the neighbouring villages), where they teach and feed the children. When she realizes that we do not contradict her, the woman gives us a challenging look and leaves. Casaracra is a day-care center created after an agreement between the Health Ministry and DOE RUN, but provides care to 75 children only (the most serious cases), inadequate attention for the enormous children population intoxicated.
We climb up the steep stairs leading to Gloriapata and Picuypata. A few skinny dogs welcome us. Those are the most contaminated barrios in old La Oroya's high zone. The houses are made of brick, have only one room, and the walls and windows are covered with soot. People do not have potable water or basic sanitation. Women have to wash their clothes on the street, in public sinks. None of them want their children to go outside because the grey dust is everywhere, and they can get it even in their mouth.
We visit the Ynga family. Two of their three children died from exposure to lead and other cancerigenic metals. Mercedes Ynga refuses to acknowledge that due to her testimony on a national channel, she received death threats from the ex-mayor Clemente Quincho. She, along with her husband and daughter, had to flee to Lima for two weeks, to protect their own lives. At our insistence, she finally accepts to talk to us. «My daughter died at 17, after suffering for 9 years, with 82 micrograms of arsenic in her system. She had spots on her skin, fever at night, and the doctors at the hospital Guillermo Almenara, bribed by the company, did not tell us what she had. My other son died when he was one year and three months old. He was born with cancer, a malignant brain tumor.» Mercedes' voice falters, her hands begin to shake, and tears run down her pink cheeks. Her husband, Martin, a robust 40 years old man, takes her in his arms, and they both cry. Mercedes now goes from door to door to give advise to the women of La Oroya. She doesn't want another mother to suffer what she suffered. «We are not afraid anymore, and little by little we bring awareness to the people», she says, as we are about to leave.
We cross the tortuous barrios of La Oroya,and the stories repeat themselves. La Oroya is a city covered by a dark veil, rarely can you see the sunshine . At night, you can not even see the stars. It looks like if a meteorite had passed and, on its way, had burned the trees, the birds, and the residents' dream to breathe fresh air. The hillsides, where most of the city's population live in a chaotic concentration, are charred. The life in the Mantaro and Yauli rivers has disappeared. Grandparents tell us that, formerly, there were vast pastures and green hills, and one could catch trouts in the rivers.
Agustin Mamani is a cheminal engineer who worked for DOE RUN during 30 years. He tells us that the smelter uses petroleum residues, scrap metal, and concentrated poison that other countries do not accept.
He also informs us that the case of La Oroya is no longer a local problem, but a national one. The water for domestic use contains lead, zinc, arsenic, and other contaminating materials, and so do the soil and the air. The artichokes, the corn, and various produce that leave the central zone to be sold in the main markets of the Capital are contaminated. We insist on the danger of the particulate material, because particles reach your lungs, and since they are so small that they can travel up to four days before they settle somewhere, the cloud of lead threatens to reach Lima.
After listening to these horrifying testimonies, we ask for a meeting with the Head of the environment department at DOE RUN, the engineer Jorge Miranda, who agrees to meet with us very early the following day.
At the agreed time, we wait for him in the hall of the building with thousands of questions in our heads. Many hours pass, and Miranda inexplicably doesn't authorize our entry to the factory. After many calls to his cell phone, he finally answers, only to cancel the appointment, saying that he has lots of accumulated work. Therefore he invites us to a new meeting, but the scene repeats itself in the afternoon:his cell phone is turned off, and the secretary claims that she doesn't know where he is. The Head of the environment department literally vanished.
Even if the mayor of La Oroya, César Gutiérrez, strongly promises us to oversee the execution of the environment plan, the future of the city is uncertain. Many people in authority have been seduced by the appealing smell of money, like Jesús Díaz, head of Essalud, who lives in DOE RUN's workers' houses.
«There are days when I think about leaving», Epson Núñez tells me. He's the young father of Mirella, a one year old girl, who frequently has convulsions and mood changes. Her health condition worsens on days when gas emissions are more intense. « We want DOE RUN's owners to think about the children of La Oroya. We fight for our children , so that they won't suffer because of our inactions.»
It is distressful to see the profound disparity that exists in the world. While Rennert lives with his children in a mansion in Long Island twice the size of the White House, an entire town is slowly dying in the peruvian Andes.
It is urgent that DOE RUN reduces its production like it did at the Missouri plant. The State must develop an essential health plan that will declare La Oroya in a state of emergengy. It should not take two more years before they build the two sulfuric acid plants. Children do not understand legal matters nor petty interests, they only want to grow up and run freely, and feel the wind caress their faces. Let's make this universal right possible, let's raise our voices a thousand times , let's not allow Dengel's, Reiner's, Mirella's, and a whole new generation's life and dreams to be «OF LEAD».
If you want to know more about the way you can collaborate to our awareness campaign, send us a message to : lassumasvoces@gmail.com
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Red Democratica 10 years "On line" (1998-2008)!
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Celebrando 10 anos "On Line"..2009
Keep the candle burning
I have a dream
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FORUM TPSIPOL: RED DEMOCRATICA (1998-1999).
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Http://reddemocratica.blogspot.com
Boletin Diario :
Http://reddemocratica01.blogspot.com
Foro Debate :
Http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eleccion
Ahora en FACEBOOK : Red Democratica
Http://www.caretas.com.pe/2000/1631/articulos/protesta.phtml
Http://www.caretas.com.pe/2000/1612/articulos/debate.phtml
Celebrando 10 anos "On Line"..2009
Keep the candle burning
I have a dream
http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/about_king/interactiveFrame.htm
FORUM TPSIPOL: RED DEMOCRATICA (1998-1999).
Informacion : Http://tpsipol.home-page.org
Para enviar un message , enviar a: eleccion@yahoogroups.com
Para suscribirse al Forum , enviar un mensaje a : eleccion-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Para salir del Forum, enviar un mensaje en blanco : eleccion-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
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