Shooting Pains In My Anus During Menstruation

lead in the blood, 1 Current

High fuming vent the landmark La Oroyas and a huge hole in place of the old city is the Cerro de Pasco sight. The two cities are located in the Central Andes to the east about 6 or 8 hour drive from Lima. My trip this time, however, had no tourism background, but was rather a study trip in the dark depths of Peru. La Oroya is one of the most famous cities of Peru's most notorious, but it was for years the Blacksmith Institute Top 10 list of the world's polluted places in a row with others Chernobyl. In a Interview me Llolanda Trujilo declared a Christian NGO (Non Governmental Organization) Pastoral Social del Arzobispato Ambiental de Huancayo that after a study by the University of St. Louis de Missouri 100% of the population of La Oroyas 10-13 various toxic substances in higher concentrations have in their bodies.


The majority of these substances are heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic. Hardest hit are the children of the city. In the 3-9 year-old was at 90%, a concentration of lead found in the blood of 20mg/dl. Of these, half again more than 40mg/dl of lead in blood. As hazardous classified ceiling of the World Health Organization (WHO) is 10mg/dl! Lead has the negative property at high concentration in the body in bones and organs and thereby set to lead to long-term psychological damage. Over 70% of the children La Oroyas, the researchers at the University of St. Louis behavioral problems such as significant poor concentration and increased aggression. Furthermore, respiratory diseases, kidney and nervous disorders are widespread.

environmentalists Pablo Vega Centero

La Oroya is located at 3700m, has 32,000 inhabitants and is surrounded by steep mountain slopes surrounded. Right and left of the central main street is dominated by the image of the city of dilapidated houses, corrugated iron huts and kassernenähnliche developments. Compared to the old town and on the other side of the Mantaro River is the iron works. The metal refinery is there since 1922 and dominated the 130m tall chimney of the city. If the system is running, the vent La Oroya wrapped in a gray veil of 1,000 cubic meters daily toxic emissions. With the production of zinc, copper, lead and silver is, together with La Oroya to Cerro de Pasco mining center of Peru.

the ironworks in the town center

1997 took over the U.S. company Doe Run, the refinery by the Peruvian State. Under the autocratic Alberto Fujimori's government (1990-2000) with his neo-liberal economic policies of the country underwent an economic shock therapy, the investment conditions for transnational corporations were fantastic. Exemption from taxes, low wages, no workers rights, no environmental regulations. Doe Run took over the dirty words Spin to the spot price and only invested to increase production.

only the brown Mantaro draw the line between spin and dirty old town

As the national and international protests about the environmental conditions were in La Oroya louder, thundered the Peruvian government, the company to implement environmental laws and minimum standards. Doe Run, however, rejected the implementation of environmental regulations with reference to the investment cost from $ 160 million. The company could not afford this. This is one of the most profitable transnational companies can not afford in Peru such an investment may be, perhaps understandable when you consider that the owner of Doe Run, Ira Rennert, in the same time a luxury villa on Long Iceland (New York) for 175 build million dollars left.

fresh sea air for Ira Rennert
source (: democraticunderground.com)

went Given these circumstances, I expect to meet a population which is united in the struggle to find the improvement of their working conditions and health. Well, it was not quite so. The refinery at La Oroya is the only employer in town. 3,000 people work there and their families make up more than 50% of the people of La Oroyas. Due to the demands of the state to implement the environmental standards (which are compared to European standards, a bad joke) and the 4th (!) The company's refusal to fulfill it, the state has made serious and closed the pavilion from 10 months to meet the requirements. The announcement of the closure of the refinery caused serious protests among the population, which in July 2009, a policeman was killed. Actually, the cabin end of April 2010 be reopened, since Doe Run but still does not meet all the requirements, the work shifts continue recording.

Che and Doe Run?

Just a week when I visited La Oroya, also started the now daily demonstrations of the refinery workers who insist on a speedy release of the system by the state. Environmental regulations or not. The demo banners with the logo of the company Doe Run were pictures of Che Guevara and the "Peruvian Marx" José Mariátegui added. At the demonstration were slogans like "No Queremos ONGs !" (We do not want NGOs) or " ONGs fuera! (NGOs out) chanted. The question of the demo folder who I was and who I work for, I answered, of course, equal to falsely with "uh, German press". With this disguise, I also came to an interview with the trade union leader of the Metal Workers of La Oroya.

"Queremos trabajar" (work we do)

The NGOs with their exaggerated propaganda about pollution and the bad effects of the refinery to revolve dheit are to blame for the closure of the hut , Roiberto Guzman replied to my question as to what they were doing up against the NGOs. Furthermore, these organizations are all controlled by foreigners who want to harm the Peruvian economy , he added. Whether he not believe in the results of studies by universities, I asked them. Well yes maybe there something to it , relented Guzman, but ultimately we would rather die of poisoning than from hunger!

union leader Guzman