Justice and Human Rights Peru Project #23520

Restore Health in Cerro de Pasco

by Source International

Project Report | Apr 23, 2024
11 violations of water protection law in Pasco

By Laura Grassi | Project Manager

Sampling river's sediments

Our recent investigation in Cerro de Pasco reveals 11 violations of water protection law

Source International's recent research has focused on the environmental quality of river water and sediments in the Simón Bolívar district to monitor mining activities’ impacts over the years.
The environmental study is the sixth of a series of independent environmental monitoring carried out since 2009 to inform the population and local and national institutions about the state of natural resources quality in the region of Pasco.

The investigation has shown 11 violations of Peruvian regulations on environmental protection in water resources within the Simon Bolivar district.

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Highly toxic metals such as lead, manganese, zinc and iron have been recorded in the Tingo river and Ragra river. At the same time, molybdenum has been observed in water for human consumption in concentrations higher than national standards. Additionally, concerning levels of lead, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead and zinc were recorded in sediment sample in the Ragra river at concentrations above international standards.

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Within the Simón Bolívar district, the Ragra and the Tingo rivers constitute the water resources most impacted by mining activities. The Ragra river, a tributary of the San Juan river, is being affected by the leachates and effluents generated by the mining companies, such as the mines, tailings dams, and exploitation activities and concentration. It is urgent to intervene to reduce the risk of toxicity throughout the food chain, considering that the San Juan river feeds the Junin Lagoon, a national reserve recognized as a wetland and, flowing into the neighboring Junin province, transporting pollution to this agricultural production area.

Based on the results discussed in this study, Source International recommends prioritizing environmental remediation actions and closing the mining operations to limit environmental pollution and reduce health risk to residents exposed to toxic and carcinogenic substances at very serious levels for the human health.

We have shared the report with local authorities in the last few days to demand urgent action.

We plan to share the main results during an online webinar in the upcoming weeks.

We are also programming our next mission to Pasco to proceed with our campaign.

Sampling water in San Juan river

Monitoring water quality in local schools

Links:

Download the full report

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Mar 27, 2024
Peru responsible for violating human rights

By Laura Grassi | Project manager

Victory: The Inter-American Court found Peru responsible for violating the rights of residents of La Oroya, who have been exposed to unsafe levels of toxic contamination for generations.

This ruling is a very important step forward and a key precedent for environmental justice in Latin America, as it is the first case in which the Court recognizes a state’s responsibility for violating the right to a healthy environment and the impact this has on the guarantee of several other rights,

These remarks are also a key precedent for protecting a Healthy Environment for the people of Cerro de Pasco!

The ruling of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in the case “Community of La Oroya vs. Peru” sets an important precedent for the protection of the right to a healthy environment across the Americas and for adequate state oversight of corporate activities. The first-of-its-kind decision holds Peru accountable for its failure to protect the inhabitants of the Andean city of La Oroya who were exposed to toxic pollution from a smelter complex that operated without adequate pollution controls for a century.

AIDA and APRODEH, a Peruvian human rights organization, with the support of Earthjustice, first filed an international complaint against the Peruvian government in 2006. In October 2021, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights established the Peruvian government’s responsibility in the case and referred it to the Inter-American Court.

In the judgment, the Court ordered the State of Peru to adopt comprehensive reparation measures for the damage caused to the population of La Oroya, including identifying, prosecuting and, where appropriate, punishing those responsible for the harassment of the victims; determining the state of contamination of the air, water and soil and preparing an environmental remediation plan; providing free medical care to the victims and guaranteeing specialized care to residents with symptoms and illnesses related to contamination from mining and metallurgical activities; ensuring the effectiveness of the city’s warning system and developing a system for monitoring the quality of air, water, and soil; ensuring that the operations of the La Oroya Metallurgical Complex comply with international environmental standards, preventing and mitigating damage to the environment and human health; providing monetary compensation to victims for material and non-material damages.

This ruling issues a warning to governments across the Americas that they cannot sit idly by while multinational corporations poison local communities. Corporations will now be on notice that exposing families to unhealthy levels of industrial pollution is a violation of international law and governments must hold polluters accountable.

On this line, on 16 March 2024, the International Nuremberg Principles Academy responded to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) call for public consultations on the development of a policy to investigate and prosecute environmental crimes under the Rome Statute. The Comment produced highlights the critical connection between human and environmental health, and identifies three causes for concern in this respect, namely destruction of ecosystems, unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, as well as pollution and contamination.

We, as Source Internationa took part in developing this document that in fact also includes data about the Cerro de Pasco case study. You can free download here.

On 26 March 2024, The Guardian published an article about the collection of comments produced by academics, lawyers and campaigners from around the world that have been sent to the ICC outlining what they call its current regime of “impunity” for serious environmental crimes.

In the upcoming weeks, we will publish and share our final scientific report on the environmental monitoring done in August 2023 in Cerro de Pasco.

Keep sustaining the Cerro de Pasco case!

Links:

Comments by International Nuremberg Principles Academy

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Jan 5, 2024
The devastating impact of mining pollution on the future of Cerro de Pasco

By Flaviano Bianchini | Project Leader

IQ levels in Cerro de Pasco

Because of pollution caused by the open pit mine, children in Cerro de Pasco have an Intelligent Quotient lower than the average and also lower than their peers in the neighboring village of Carhuamayo.

On average, children in Cerro de Pasco have an IQ that is 12 points lower than children in Carhuamayo and also 12 point lower than the national average of Peru (children in Carhuamayo have an average IQ very similar to the national one). More than 40% of the children of Cerro de Pasco have an IQ that is significantly lower than the average.

But what does it imply for the regular life of a kid? What does it mean to have a low IQ?

Educational Challenges: Individuals with lower IQ may face difficulties in traditional educational settings, as these environments often emphasize cognitive abilities measured by IQ tests. They might require alternative teaching methods or additional support to succeed academically. An “hypothetical” kid born in Cerro de Pasco will struggle to finish secondary school while the same “hypothetical” kid born and raised in Carhuamayo may become an engineer.
Occupational Limitations: Certain professions may have cognitive demands that could pose challenges for individuals with lower IQ. It is crucial to note that IQ is just one aspect of a person’s abilities, and various skills, talents, and attributes contribute to success in different careers. However, the vast majority of occupation require “traditional” cognitive demands. Therefore, our “hypothetical” kid of Cerro de Pasco might be unemployed while the same kid in Carhuamayo will have a regular job and a successful career.
Social Stigma: Unfortunately, there can be a social stigma associated with lower IQ scores. This can lead to stereotyping, bias, and discrimination, impacting the individual’s self-esteem and mental health. Children in Cerro de Pasco might suffer from this stigma and therefore grow whit lower self-esteem and even depression, making it even more difficult to have some sort of “normal” social life.
Adaptability: Individuals with lower IQ scores might face challenges in adapting to new or complex situations. In a word that constantly changes this aspect can be a very important one. Our “hypothetical” kid of Cerro de Pasco might struggle to adapt to new changes in society or to adapt to new technologies while the Carhuamayo one will adapt quickly and without problems.
Emotional Intelligence: While IQ primarily measures cognitive abilities, it does not directly assess emotional intelligence. Individuals with lower IQ may still excel in social and emotional intelligence. However, this is restricted by the social stigma and the occupational and educational limitations. Our “hypothetical” kid of Cerro de Pasco might have a good emotional intelligence but he will probably have lower education, underprivileged job and been subject of social stigma; all points that do not help in putting into practice a good emotional intelligence. For example, several studies have demonstrated that people with lower IQ are more prone to domestic violence, a phenomenon that is very common in Cerro de Pasco (according to national census Cerro de Pasco has the second highest incidence of domestic violence in the Country).

Our investigation found that there is a direct correlation between the concentration of heavy metals (especially lead) in the bodies of the kids and their IQ. Lead, Arsenic, Manganese, Chromium, Cadmium they all have a direct correlation with the IQ of the children. However, there is a factor that has a higher incidence of the IQ of children and this is the level of education of their parents. The level of education of the parents and their social and working position is even more important that the presence of lead in their bodies.

Therefore, the children that have a lower IQ today because of the pollution caused by the mine, will have a lower education and social position tomorrow. Consequently, their children will have a lower IQ and hence a lower education and social position.

In other words: mining pollution is not only denying a future for this generation but it will deny a future for the next generation too; and possibly even the next one. The pollution that mining operations are causing today (and the one that they caused in the previous years) is affecting the people of Cerro de Pasco for generations to come!

Correlation between lead in body and IQ

Timeline of brain development

Links:

Source International's webpage

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