The Price of the mercury

A magical remedy from the past turned a threat to our public health nowadays.

 

 

By Kathy García

 

 

    The mercury word comes from the Latin voice hydrargirium that means liquid silver. That is why Hg was adopted as its chemical symbol. The Middle Age’s alchemistrians called it quicksilver or azoggeh, like it is known even today in some Andean communities of Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

 

 

The mercury exists in three forms: elementary, inorganic, and organic (methilmercury) that has been recognized as a poison during almost 2000 years. It was widely used like a drug until ¾ of century ago when its use was prohibited due to toxicity in adult persons.

 

 

The industry uses the mercury in thermometers, thermostats, barometers, batteries, and other products. It used to use for fillings in dental amalgams, but diverse rules worldwide have reduced or eliminated its concentration. The effects in the human body because of an exposition to this metal are different, but the U.S. Environmental Protection agency alerts that

the methilmercury can cause cancer. All types of mercury are easily absorbed by our tissues and effectively transported by our blood.

 

 

The life of mercury is surrounded by mysterious curative actions, magic, mysticism, pain, tragedy, and death. The ancient civilizations as Chinese, Inca, and Aztecan used the metallic mercury like a remedy for curing stomach’s chronic problems. There are evidences of some places in Mexico and Peru where the mercury is still used as a remedy.

 

 

During hundreds of years, not realizing its poisonous and mortal power, the voodoo Santeria used it for exorcisms and mystical power granting such as it has detected in African-descendant communities of United States, Cuba, Haiti, Brazil, and even Peru.

 

 

    Choropampa

On July 2nd, 2000, a Ransa’s transportation truck spread accidentaly organic mercury in a 15-mile highway portion, mainly affecting Magdalena and Choropampa towns, in Cajamarca Region. The mercury belonged to Minera Yanacocha, a Newmont Mining and Buenaventura’s joint-venture with a little shareholding of the World Bank.

 

 

The spill’s day, some mothers hanged pieces of mercury like necklaces on their kids’ necks for not falling ill. As a result, the children had neurologic problems and their health deteriorated everyday.

 

 

Around 1500 people between Magdalena and Choropampa experienced chronic health problems: headaches, blindness, skin diseases, pancreas pains, hemorrages, bone weakening and liver’s failure, fatigue, a considerable increase of miscarriages, nervous disorders, and breathing problems.

 

 

Consuelo Chuqituco had a severe pain in the pancreas and refused to meet the people, she lived with an acute depression. Enrique Cerquin was hospitalized in Lima with malformations and tremors, uncapable to eat by his own. Rosaura Cuenca had tumors in her feet and suffered from heavy headaches. The debunked Choropampa’s Mayor Lot Saavedra suffered from the kidney – he was also filed for protesting with a blockade on the Cajamarca-Lima Highway in 2001.

 

 

The limited medical insurance paid by Yanacocha expired in December 2005 and the future of the victims was uncertain. The mining company forced the locals to signature compensations which released it from any further responsibility for symptoms or health deterioration.

 

 

    

 

 

Comparison of poisoning symptoms in children

 

Choropampa, Peru

• Lose or defficience of language.
• Social isolation, depression.
• Progressive blindness (this aspect may be cultural).
• Unconscience (faints).
• Sleeping problems.
• Behaviour problems (irritability, or much shyness)
• Apetite lose with weight lose.
• Acrodynia, legs numbness, parestesia.
• Initial signs of kidney anormality.

 

Previous studies

• Lost or defficient language.
• Social isolation.
• Progressive blindness.
• Unconscience (faints).
• Problems at sleep time.
• Behavior problems.
• Apetite lose with weight lose.
• Acrodynia, legs numness, parestesia.
• Initial signs of kidney anormality.

 

Gathered by Kathy García. Made by bioespacio for FACTORTIERRA.

 

 

    Irreversible damages

The science has concluded that although little mercury quantities may be expulsed by urine, the most of ionic or organic mercury accumulates in the body, mainly the brain.

 

Due to its solubility (75% to 85%), it is fastly absorbed through the lungs and the red bloodcells and the neurones, generating unrepairable neurologic damages, cough, chest stretching, breathing problems, sick stomach, nauseas,threw ups, diarrhea, disabled kidney drainage, delayed learning, deficient language, skin sores, tumors, weakness, muscle malformations, paralysis, memory lose, headaches, shyness and confidence lose, insomnia, blindness, hallucinations, and deafness.

 

 

Mercury levels are measured in blood, urine, and hair. Inside the blood, it can hold for three days, so the analysis to detect it must do in an inmediate way.  In Choropampa and Magdalena, the tests were done even three weeks later when the levels in urine and blood have few co-relation with the poisoning symptoms. This happens because the metal impregnates fastly into the cells of the organs and freeze. That’s why Yanacocha used this detail to minimize the massive intoxication  in Cajamarca.

 

 

In the zone, hundreds of children have learning defficiences. Rocío Guzmán’s three kids gathered the mercury with a spoon, tasted it, carried it into home for game.Everyone poisoned, the mother included, and stayed hospitalized for two weeks. While healing, Rocío decided it was time to leave the town and moved to Cajamarca City.

 

 

After the signature of compensation agreements, Yanacocha said the case is closed and the people was already indemnizated. In the United States and Europe, many corporations follow to pay the treatment of thousands of people intoxicated by mercury, while in Peru, the persons who claimed for those cases have been filed by the government alleging terrorism instigation.

     

 

With researches by Stephanie Boyd in Piura, Nelson Peñaherrera in Lima, and Iván Salas in Cajamarca. The newsroom in Sullana contributed to this report.

Original versión: © 2005 Kathy García. Adapted by FACTORTIERRA, 2020.