AMERICA/PERU - Archbishop denounces: The health of the population in jeopardy due to mining activities

La Oroya (Agenzia Fides) - After the government reduced the environmental quality standards (ECA) to facilitate the sale of the metallurgical complex of La Oroya, the Archbishop of Huancayo, Mgr. Pedro Barreto Jimeno, SJ, spoke with the press to denounce that this measure is harmful for the health of the population.
Mgr. Barreto Jimeno noted that since 1928 the State has made money at the expense of the population of this area and will not allow this situation to be repeated: "Since 1928 the State has collected taxes and has made money at the expense of the life and health of the population, and once again the State wants to return to its old methods of corruption", he said.
A note sent to Fides from a local source highlights that the government has allowed sulfur dioxide emissions up to 250 micrograms, while before the maximum was 20. The Dean of the College of Engineers, Fredy Matos, expressed his disagreement with this flexibility as the main consequences will regard the health of the population. The issue of mining in the area has been going on for a long time. The Church had expressed itself in a positive manner with regards to the reactivation of the metallurgical complex La Oroya but only after guaranteeing life, health and work worthy of the workers (see Fides 1/03/2012). (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 14/07/2017)

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