As I’ve briefly explained in a prior post, I’m involved in a new project here in Peru, and would like to explain it a little more thoroughly in, hopes that some of you may have interest in getting involved, or may know people who would. Essentially this is a brand new international youth project, and we need more involvement from people in the US to help get it off the ground. So I’ll explain.
Theme:
Environmental justice, youth empowerment and skills development, social justice movement.
The Problem:
La Oroya, Peru. One of the most contaminated cities in the world, listed among such places as Chernobyl. While it was once a verdant green valley filled with farms, there are no longer any trees on the mountains, many local children are born with lead poisoning, and the rivers are so contaminated that the fish no longer run in them. Why? Due to centuries of irresponsibility on the part of mining companies. The principal economic entity in La Oroya is the US-owned smelter, Doe Run. Doe Run is an important source of income for the people of La Oroya, and we are not suggesting it be shut down. Rather, we believe the company should be more socially and environmentally responsible, by installing basic precautionary measures, such as filters to capture the large lead particles that it emits. For years now Doe Run has failed to comply with national and international environmental laws in Doe Run, while it should be noted that it has a similar plant in the US where the pollution is substantially less. To put it bluntly, a US company is unnecessarily poisoning the local population, and no one is stopping them. If you want more specifics about this, just ask.
These mountains were once green
Project:
We are working with a group of elementary-aged kids in La Oroya, and another group in NYC. They meet twice a month via skype, and coordinate awareness-raising events. The kids meet locally twice a week, and we’re working to develop their skill sets – e-mails, blog management, interviewing, talking on the radio, filming. We’ve recently bought flip-cams and are teaching the kids how to use them. Long term goal: to make an award-winning documentary, filmed primarily by the kids themselves, and capture the attention of the US public about the problem. Also, to empower the next generation in regards to social justice. I know it sounds big, but we really believe we can do this.
Where you come in:
We want to get more US groups of kids involved (ideally elementary aged, or early middle school) – youth groups, after-school groups, whatever. The time commitment would be a lot less than the principal group in NYC. Below is what we’re thinking the involvement would look like. Keep in mind this is a fledgling project – we’re still trying to get everything going, so things are just now developing. That’s why we’re looking for more people to get involved soon! If you yourself aren’t interested, but you know someone involved with kids who might be, please send me their contact info, or pass this on to them!
1) We provide a “lesson plan” on La Oroya, that teachers, etc. could use appropriate to the grade level (mostly elementary school).
2. After the lesson plan has been taught, we’d arrange for a skype call.
3. The class would commit itself to doing several things (maybe five things… and we’d call it “Give Me 5″. For example: 1) tell five people about La Oroya; 2) write a letter to a congress person, the president, Ira Rennert (owner of Doe Run), etc (we’d provide a sample letter).; 3) sign a petition that would be posted on our webpage; 4) write an article/letter to the editor for your local paper (we’d provide a sample article) and/or contact a reporter to talk about our campaign; 5) raise money/make a donation to the campaign (we’d provide them with our mascot/stuffed animal that they could sell).
I really believe that this project will achieve good things. Not only are we hoping to raise awareness concerning the problems of contamination in La Oroya, but we are trying to show the next generation that they have the power and responsibility to make the change we need to see in this world, and that they can do that through international solidarity.
Anna,
In your post about Doe Run, you wrote” “If you want more specifics about this, just ask.”
You seem to be laying the blame on Doe Run for the environmental problems associated with the mining operations aT LaOroya.
How long has Doe Run owned the mine? Who owned and ran the mine before they acquired it? What were the environmental compliance requirements placed upon Doe Run as a result of or part of the sales agreement?
You wrote:
“For years now Doe Run has failed to comply with national and international environmental laws in Doe Run, while it should be noted that it has a similar plant in the US where the pollution is substantially less. To put it bluntly, a US company is unnecessarily poisoning the local population, and no one is stopping them.”
What specifically has Doe Run failed to do that is not in compliance with Peru’s national laws and international laws?
What has Doe Run been doing to mitigate the environmental impacts of the mining operations there? What have they been doing to improve the health of the children and residents of LaOroya?
I shall look forward to reading your answers to my questions.
Best regards,
Gary J. Green
Mr. Green,
Thank you so much for your questions – they are all very important issues to be covered and I’m sorry they weren’t included in the initial post, but I try not to overwhelm people with details unless I know they’re interested. What I’ve included below is a rather long but detailed overview of Doe Run’s activities in regards to national and international law, as well as more details concerning the pollution found in La Oroya. This is primarily research I did from an international law perspective. I just want emphasize while this topic can (and should) be approached from a legal perspective, the project I am currently involved is taking the form of a citizens movement. A movement of children, in the US and Peru, who believe they have the power to change the world for the better by raising the consciousness of the citizenry and demanding a change.
It should be made clear that Doe Run is not solely responsible for the state that La Oroya is in today. The mining and smelter operation has been in La Oroya since 1922.
It began with the U.S.-owned Cerro de Pasco Corporation, was nationalized by the state in 1974 under Centromín Peru, and finally purchased by Doe Run in 1997. So while a number of different businesses have been responsible for the contamination that can be found today, it should also be noted that since being owned by Doe Run, output and production has been notably higher, which brings about a more rapid rate of contamination. What I do blame Doe Run for is that they have failed to keep their promises concerning pollution control to this day, and have continued to add to the problem.
Numerous studies have revealed that Doe Run is a responsible for a number of pollution issues that are negatively affecting the people of La Oroya. The smelting plant emits sulfur dioxide, which, among other things, causes acid rain and respiratory problems. The level at which it is emitted is at least four times the limit set by Peruvian law. The extremity of the situation was emphasized when in 2007 Doe Run monitored the air pollution, and found that the sulfur dioxide levels were at 80-300 times the maximum set by the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition to sulfur dioxide, the population of La Oroya has also been exposed to lead, copper, zinc, arsenic, and cadmium pollution. The comparative severity of this pollution is shown by the fact that in 2007 La Oroya was listed by the Blacksmith Institute as one of the world’s top ten most polluted cities. The blame for this pollution cannot be placed on anything other than the smelter’s operations, as it is the source of 99% of the toxic emissions inhaled in the town.
Studies done in 1999, 2003, and 2005 discovered that almost every child under the age of 6 years had blood lead levels surpassing the acceptable international limit set by the WHO. Most of these children had levels four times greater than the limit, or more. In 1999 the Ministry of Health found that 99.1% of children had lead poisoning, and 20% needed urgent hospitalization. It is important to note that lead poisoning constricts neurological development in children, so this lead poisoning will impair them for life. Additionally, in 2005 50% of the minors in the region were found to have asthma from the air pollution.
The corporation runs a smelter in Missouri whose emissions 20 times lower than its Peruvian plant, indicating that the corporation has the technology and means to operate in a more sustainable manner.
When Doe Run purchased Centromín, part of the purchase agreement was a contract to comply with a 10-year environmental cleanup plan, known as the Environmental Suitableness and Management Program, or PAMA. In Peru’s Clean Air Act the government acknowledges that La Oroya is a city plagued with severe air pollution, but in 2004 when Doe Run petitioned the government for a four year extension to the PAMA, the petition was granted.
The community of La Oroya has, in partnership with international non-profit groups, pursued action against Doe Run from within the framework of the OAS. In 2007 the people of La Oroya brought a petition before the Commission, drafted by Earthjustice, the Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense (AIDA), the Center for Human Rights and Environmental Defense, and Peruvian lawyer Carlos Chirinos. The petition asked that the Peruvian government stop the contamination being caused by the smelter. It also requested that measures be made to provide acceptable medical treatment for those harmed by the smelter emissions, to offer education and access to information to those being affected, to implement the necessary emissions and contamination controls, and to execute satisfactory clean up measures in contaminated areas.
The petition’s principal assertion is that the effects of the emissions from Doe Run’s operations are in violation of human rights, and that it is therefore the obligation of the Peruvian government to take measures against Doe Run to uphold the rights of its citizens. According to the petition, Doe Run has violated 6 basic human rights, as espoused in the American Convention. First and foremost the corporation has violated the right to life, as expressed in Article 4. La Oroya’s citizens not only will suffer fatalities from this pollution, but those who do survive will be compromised by it throughout their lives. Secondly, it has undermined the right to integrity, declared in Article 5. Thirdly, it has flouted the right to dignity and inviolability of the home, stated in Article 11. Fourthly, it has ignored the rights of children, affirmed in Article 19, as well as the Convention of the Rights of the Children. Fifthly, it has violated the right to information, Article 13, in that the citizens of La Oroya are not properly educated concerning the severity of the pollution and its effects. Lastly, it has impeded the right to fair process and access to justice, confirmed in Articles 8 and 25. The petition concludes by reminding the Peruvian state of its obligations, expressed in Articles 1 and 2, to respect these rights and liberties, and to take measures to protect them.
The petition has been somewhat successful in summoning a response to the irresponsibility of Doe Run. The Commission ruled in favor of the people of La Oroya, and recommended that Peru conduct medical examinations to determine the extent of the damage done to the city’s residents, and provide treatment to those who need it. Additionally, in 2007 after the Commission’s report, the Peruvian government levied a $234,000 fine on Doe Run for exceeding the acceptable levels set for lead and particulate matter. In response to this, in 2008 TUV Rheinland retracted the certification it had granted Doe Run two years earlier, citing non-compliance with Peruvian environmental law. The Commission did not levy a large number of specific demands concerning the case. Rather, it issued a general condemnation of Doe Run’s operational standards and the Peruvian government’s response to the violations.
.By March of 2009 Doe Run had halted 95% of its operations in La Oroya. The cessation of operations was blamed on a loss of credit lines, and the expenses of pursuing an environmental clean-up and renovation. Doe Run petitioned the Peruvian government for a $75 million bailout, which the government denied. By April, however, fifteen mining companies affiliated with Doe Run granted the corporation a $175 million credit line. In addition to this, Doe Run petitioned for yet another extension of the PAMA. The government granted the corporation another three months, despite the fact that the initial extension had stated that no further extensions would be allowed. While Doe Run claims that it could not afford to continue operations while pursuing compliance with the PAMA, some watchdog groups claim that the cutting of operations was a power play, used to pressure the government to grant yet another extension. This claim stems from the fact that from 2005 to 2008 Doe Run declared net profits of $400 million dollars. Because the cessation of Doe Run’s operations would result in the loss of 3,500 jobs in the mining sector, the corporation holds a considerable amount of power. In October of 2009 Doe Run applied for yet another extension of the PAMA, this time for 30 months. This too, was granted, which means that the company can continue its pollution of the area until the 27th of March, 2012. Operations of the smelter are scheduled to begin again at the end of July.
In terms of what Doe Run has done to help the community, their efforts have, in my opinion, been lacking. Some examples are “health” campaigns that include such simple advice as telling children to wash their hands in order to avoid lead contamination. Surely the irony of this is evident, given that many children are born with lead contamination. A new hospital has been built in the community, but rather than being a community clinic where the general population can afford consultations, the majority of citizens in La Oroya cannot afford to use this new hospital. While I sincerely try not to be cynical, I cannot help but scoff a little each time I arrive in La Oroya and drive past a huge mural along the side of a river, that fish can no longer survive in, that claims “Doe Run does not contaminate.”
Please let me know if this has sufficiently answered your questions, and don’t hesitate to ask any more that you may have!
Also, I would be happy to provide any of my sources for you.
One small correction – Doe Run did not actually purchase Centromin itself, but rather it purchased the La Oroya smelter from Centromin. Sorry for the confusion.
Dear Anna,
I’m writing on behalf of the Peacebuilding team at Catholic Relief Services. We’re preparing a case study on environmental health as an equity issue in La Oroya, Peru. We’d like to use the photograph that is featured in this post. May we have your permission to do so?
Thank you for your help,
Josh
Dear Josh,
Absolutely – please feel free to use it. If you’re looking for first-hand sources for your study, I would be happy to put you in touch with an associate who is still in Peru spearheading a number of projects in La Oroya. I’m sure he would be a good resource for you.
Regards,
Anna
Thanks so much! We really appreciate it. The study is essentially finished, but I’ll let the Peacebuilding team know that you have an associate in Peru who might be interested in future collaboration.
Would you like to include your last name in the credit line? E.g., “Courtesy of Anna ______, http://annainhuancayo.wordpress.com/”
Best,
Josh
joshua.tong@crs.org
Glad I can help. Yes, please include my name – Anna Gray. Would be really interested in reading the study once it’s published.
Best,
Anna