Swallowed by a Mine

In places where lead is found in dust or soil, children are even more at risk because they play and crawl on the floor or ground. They ingest lead-bearing dust or soil when they put objects or their hands into their mouths, says Bruce Lanphear, a pediatrician and researcher at Simon Fraser University in Canada who studies the effects of lead on children.

Lead levels in Cerro de Pasco’s children have been tracked since 1996. In 2012, the Peruvian Health Ministry found that about 2,000 kids—more than half of those tested—had lead levels higher than twice the acceptable level. To draw attention to their plight, residents of Cerro de Pasco undertook a two-week-long march last September. They trudged over the mountains to Lima, Peru’s capital, 240 kilometers (150 miles) away. Soon after, the government announced plans to build a hospital that would provide testing and treatment for lead poisoning.  

Children are even more at risk in Cerro de Pasco and other places where lead is found in dust or soil. That’s because they play and crawl on the floor or ground. They take in lead-bearing dust or soil when they put objects or their hands into their mouths, says pediatrician Bruce Lanphear. He studies the effects of lead on children at Simon Fraser University in Canada.

Lead levels in Cerro de Pasco’s children have been tracked since 1996. The Peruvian Health Ministry found alarming results in 2012. More than half of the children tested, about 2,000, had lead levels higher than twice the acceptable level. Residents of Cerro de Pasco tried to draw attention to their problem last September. They went on a two-week-long march. They trudged 240 kilometers (150 miles) over the mountains to Lima, Peru’s capital. The government announced plans to build a new hospital soon after. It would provide testing and treatment for lead poisoning.  

Similar measures were promised before but never carried out. In 2008, a local congresswoman even managed to pass a law mandating the entire town be moved a safer distance from the mine. But the relocation never happened, because no one could settle on who should foot the bill. An American company owned the mine for more than half of the past century, then the Peruvian government, and most recently a Peruvian company. It’s difficult to say who should be held responsible for the lead poisoning.

Similar promises have been made before. But they were never carried out. A local congresswoman passed a law to help residents in 2008. The law ordered that the entire town be moved farther from the mine. But the move never happened. No one could settle on who should foot the bill. An American company owned the mine for more than half of the past century. After that the Peruvian government owned it. A Peruvian company then bought it. It’s hard to say who should be held responsible for the poisoning.

The problem isn’t isolated to places like Cerro de Pasco. In 2015, the city of Flint, Michigan, brought to light problems with lead contamination in the U.S. The year before, the town had switched its water supply to the Flint River. But officials failed to treat the corrosive (chemically damaging) water, which caused lead to leach from old pipes and exposed residents to unsafe levels of the metal. Flint made headlines nationwide, but Lanphear says it is just the latest of many similar cases in the U.S. (Read more about the Flint water crisis in the 4/18/16 issue of Science World.)

Children are also routinely exposed to lead in homes and contaminated soil in other places around the U.S. Lead in paints and gasoline wasn’t prohibited in the U.S. until the 1970s. According to historian David Rosner of Columbia University in New York, lead industry executives knew how dangerous their product could be as far back as the early 1900s. But they did little to phase out its use, which would have gone against their business interests. “Now it’s 2016, and we’re paying the price, and we’re still arguing about whether it’s too expensive to clean up this mess,” Rosner says.

Lead isn’t a problem only in places like Cerro de Pasco. Lead contamination in the U.S. came to light in 2015. That’s when the city of Flint, Michigan, made headlines. The town had switched its water supply to the Flint River the year before. But officials didn’t treat the corrosive (chemically damaging) water. Lead leached from old pipes as a result. Residents were exposed to unsafe levels of the metal. Lanphear says it is just the latest of many cases in the U.S. (Read more about the Flint water crisis in the 4/18/16 issue of Science World.)

Kids are often exposed to lead in homes and contaminated soil around the U.S. Lead in paints and gasoline wasn’t banned in the U.S. until the 1970s. David Rosner is a historian at Columbia University in New York. He says lead industry leaders knew how harmful their product could be as far back as the early 1900s. But they did little to phase it out. That would have gone against their business interests. “Now we’re paying the price, and we’re still arguing about whether it’s too expensive to clean up this mess,” he says.

Preventing lead exposure and the health problems related to it would save money in the long run, says Lanphear. “Too often, we put profit over people’s health,” he adds. In Cerro de Pasco, Chamorro and other parents hope that will change. “We’re going to keep fighting for our children,” Chamorro says. “And not just the children. This is a problem that affects everyone.”

Preventing lead exposure and its related health problems would save money in the long run, says Lanphear. “Too often, we put profit over people’s health,” he adds. 

Chamorro and other parents hope that will change in Cerro de Pasco. “We’re going to keep fighting for our children,” Chamorro says. “And not just the children. This is a problem that affects everyone.”