“Respiratory and hearing problems, poisoning, cancer and skin diseases are some of the effects caused by extractive projects. This means about 65 of the 434 problems recorded by our IBERO’s Observatory of Social and Environmental Conflicts (OCSA); and approximately 30% of megaprojects that report negative health effects are related to extractivism from mining“.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. We take this definition as a starting point to analyze the impacts that extractive projects have on the health of people living in the territories where they are installed. Despite enjoying health being a human right, as well as a necessary condition for the proper development of life, we observe that, in fact, it is a systematically violated right and an aspect whose importance has been shaken, especially when it comes to extractivism. .
The Observatory of Socio-Environmental Conflicts (OCSA) of the Universidad Iberoamericana de México is a tool that documents and analyzes, based on the press, the socio-environmental conflicts triggered by extractive megaprojects in Mexican territory.
Record of health issues related to mining.
During the four years covered by the OCSA registry (2017-2020), 434 socio-environmental conflicts were documented. Of these, at least 65 include damage to health. Among the effects most cited by the press are: respiratory problems, poisoning, cancer, skin diseases and hearing problems.
Approximately 30% of the megaprojects that trigger socio-environmental conflicts that report negative health effects are related to mining extractivism. The mining activity, in its extraction, processing and waste management stages, causes profound environmental degradation, pollutes the soil, air, water and food, so that people who live in the surroundings of these projects are exposed to heavy metals. and other substances, which has both short-term and long-term effects on your health.
Other impacts of extractive mining projects on populations
It must be taken into account that these damages to health generate, in turn, economic impacts on families and communities. This is because, in most cases, the affected people do not have access to health services, either because they are not affiliated to social security or simply because the State does not guarantee the availability of the service. The economic impact is substantive, as in addition to these expenses, you need to consider reduced income due to other effects on your properties and livelihoods.
This is just a sample of what Fundar (2018) points out, insofar as the populations in which minerals are exploited do not receive the economic benefits derived from this activity. exercise and that, in many of these places, poverty rates exceed the national average.
The case of the Buena Vista del Cobre mine
A paradigmatic example of the aforementioned problem is the conflict triggered by the Buena Vista del Cobre mine, in Sonora, owned by Grupo México. According to information from OCSA, the spill of 40,000 cubic meters of sulfuric acid in the Sonora and Bacanuchi rivers, which took place on August 6, 2014 —called by some organizations that defend the environment as the worst ecological catastrophe in Mexico—is the one that has caused the greatest damage to the health of the population.
After the disaster, Germán Larrea Mota Velasco, owner of Grupo México, signed an agreement with the federal administration, which consisted of a contribution of two billion pesos, the construction of 36 water treatment plants with technology to eliminate the presence of metals. and the construction of an epidemiological and environmental surveillance unit. However, only 1,231 million pesos were delivered, only two power plants were installed that finally failed and the surveillance unit remained in black work. this is just an example.
The role of the press in the treatment of news related to mining companies
It is noteworthy that the press addresses the issue of health in a concise and general way, which makes it difficult to establish a relationship between extractive megaprojects and damage to health. It is true that there is not in all cases direct evidence of the impact of extractive activities on health, but there is sufficient reason to consider that these damages have been ignored by the authorities and even by the media and public opinion in general. . Law reforms promoted by recent governments have granted excessive freedoms to those who obtain mining concessions, leaving peoples and communities unprotected.
Achieve regulation of extractive projects
It is urgent to generate regulations for extractive activities —particularly mining—with a public health focus. It is also necessary to create observation and surveillance mechanisms that allow for more information and understanding of the problem and its various scopes, with a view to generating ways to face it. We are not just talking about high economic costs for communities, but the systematic violation of individual and collective rights and, specifically, the violation of the ways of life of individuals, communities and collectivities. We affirm that, given these effects, it is not possible to negotiate: no economic activity justifies the damage to health.
Sources consulted:
Center for Social Studies and Public Opinion (CESOP) (2019). Mexican mining. Current situation and perspectives 2019. Retrieved from www5.diputados.gob.mx/index.php/camara/Centros-deEstudio/CESOP/Novedades/Carpeta-informativa.-La-Mineria-Mexicana.- Situacion-actual-y-perspectivas- 2019
Found. Analysis and Information Center (2016). Extractive activities in Mexico. Current state. Mexico: Found.
Found. Analysis and Information Center (2018). Extractive activities in Mexico. Challenges for the 4Q. Mexico: Found.
Ibeoamerican University. Observatory of Social and Environmental Conflicts. recovered from https://ocsa.ibero.mx/
