More than 3,200 milligrams of lead per kilogram of soil has been found in the area around the northern Chilean town of Portezuelo, 14 km southeast of Antofagasta, where there is a lead storage site. “The site should be closed up, and the trucks that transport the lead (to the port of Antofagasta) should be sealed,” Hugo Benítez, president of the region's medical school, told Tierramérica.

The health authorities have pledged to seek solutions, given that high concentrations of lead can cause cancer, neurological damage, attention deficit and aggressive behavior, especially in children.