This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 29, August 28-September 3, 2005
For months now, Lepanto mining
company is locked in a protracted labor strike by its employees. But there’s
another issue raised by university-based doctors and scientists on the firm’s
mining operations. Their findings of water samples take from river systems where
the company’s mine tailings are allegedly dumped showed very high cyanide,
chromium and lead.
By Kim Quitasol BAGUIO CITY - The mining
company is not just anti-labor but also anti-environment. Based on three studies
presented last Aug. 24 at the Saint Louis University (SLU) here (246 kms north
of Manila), the Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company’s (LCMCo) mining activities
have adversely affected the Abra River, including plants and people living near
it. The studies were conducted by doctors, engineers, professors and students
from SLU and University of the Philippines-Baguio (UP Baguio). It may be recalled that the
company’s workers are currently on strike due to a deadlock in the negotiations
for a collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Water
contamination SLU Chemical Laboratory
Officer-in-charge Engr. Josephine Dulay presented her study on the water quality
monitoring of almost 20 sites of the Abra River, from Mankayan, Benguet and
Santa, Ilocos Sur downstream. She said those samples were taken in October 2004
and February 2005. Dulay disclosed that water
samples taken from LCMCo’s Carbon In-pulp (CIP) Mill outlet, Tailings Dam
spillway and at the Baguyos Bridge (the border between Benguet and Ilocos Sur)
contained very high cyanide, chromium and lead. She said that water samples from
LCMCo’s mill outlet contained 0.43 milligrams per liter (mg/L) of cyanide, way
above the 0.05 mg/L allowed level prescribed by the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR) Administrative Order No. 34 of the Revised Water
Usage and Classification/Water Quality Criteria. She added that water
samples from the sites are also acidic. She said that the same water sample
registered 3.42 pH, lower than the allowed 6.5 to 8.5 pH of the same DENR order.
Moreover, Dulay stressed
that the dissolved oxygen of the water samples at the same site was lower than
the needed level for river bounties to survive. She said that the required
dissolved oxygen for plants and fishes to survive is a minimum of 2.0 mg/L as
mentioned in the DENR order but the sample registered only 1.98 mg/L.
Disruption in growth of onion roots Results of the study
conducted by UP Baguio Department of Biology Prof. Jocelyn Rafanan and Aldwin
Almo on the effects of the water sample on the root growth of onions also known
as the Allium Test showed growth inhibition and morphological effects. Almo explained that the
test showed disruption in the chromosomes of the onion roots that were planted
on water samples taken from the same sites identified by Dulay. He added that
the same effects identified on the onion roots could possibly happen to animals
and human beings exposed to the water at the sample sites. Rafanan said a correlation
exists between the results of the chemical testing done by Dulay and the
biological testing they conducted. She attributed the effects seen on the onion
roots to the presence of cyanide and other chemicals and the low dissolved
oxygen content in the water. Rafanan explained that the
Allium Test is an established protocol in determining the presence of chemicals
and pollutants in soil and water, which may represent environment hazard. She
added that it is also the cheapest process.
Residents’ health also affected According to SLU College of
Medicine Department of Preventive and Community Medicine Chairperson Dr. Ana
Marie Leung, aside from the adverse effect on the river itself and plants
thriving along its banks, LCMCo’s mining activities also cause harm on residents
living along the river. Leung said that residents
of Paalaban, Paco in Mankayan, Benguet have significantly high levels of
cyanide, copper and lead in their blood. In fact, she said, one resident was
found to have toxic level of cyanide in his blood. These residents are exposed
to LCMCo’s mine drainage through inhalation, immersion and non-intentional
ingestion. She explained that in a
matter of time residents who are exposed to LCMCo’s mine drainage would have
toxic cyanide levels in their blood because it accumulates through the years.
The said community is just
behind LCMCo’s mill site, where residents inhale, ingest and have physical
contact with the mine wastes the company is dumping to the river. “If we cannot ensure the
health and safety of the people, we should take concrete actions to address the
root cause of the problem,” Leung stressed. Leung conducted a two-year
study on the health profile of three communities adjacent to LCMCo’s mining
operations. Her research titled “Health Profile of Communities Living Near
Corporate Mining Operations in Mankayan, Benguet” won the first prize in the
Department of Health (DoH) National Research Forum in April 2004. Nordis/Bulatlat © 2004 Bulatlat
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Lepanto Mining Firm Not Environment-Friendly – UP
Baguio, SLU scholars
Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat