The decision of the Peruvian government to limit polluting emissions from the mining industry — the engine of national economic growth — is seen by health experts as a tepid effort.

A day in the life of the Peruvian city of La Oroya, one of the most toxic in the world. - Peruvian daily La República

The initiative, submitted for consultation from December to January by the National Environment Council (Conam), has come under fire as “insufficient” for protecting the health of residents who are exposed to poisonous gases and metals from mining operations and foundries, including arsenic, zinc, sulfur and cadmium.

The draft of the decree would approve the new “maximum permissible limits” (MPLs) for liquid effluents and atmospheric emissions, set in 1996 for the mining-metallurgy sector, as well as regulation for compliance.

When Conam experts finish evaluating the input, the document will go to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers for final approval. There are no deadlines for the process.

According to the proposal, the liquid waste that is putting arsenic into lakes and rivers should never have concentrations higher than 0.5 micrograms per liter (mcg/l).

That cuts in half the current national limit of one mcg/l, but is five times more than allowed under the limits established by the World Bank in 2007, of 0.1 mcg/l, according to Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW).

The non-governmental Muqui Network asked chemist Mercedes Lu and biochemist Mark Chernaik, of ELAW, to review the government's proposal as a means to contribute to the debate.

According to the analysis to which Tierramérica had access, the limit for zinc is 2.0 mcg/l, a slight improvement to the 3.0 mcg/l of the current standards, but much more lax than the World Bank's 0.5 mcg/l.

For the first time the government is setting parameters for cadmium, which will be 0.1mcg/l, although the international proposal is for an annual average limit of 0.05 mcg/l, according to the ELAW researchers.

Arsenic can provoke skin cancer and harm the lungs, kidneys and prostate, Dr. Hugo Villa told Tierramérica.

Villa is studying the health of residents affected by emissions from the foundry run by the U.S. company Doe Run in the Andean city of La Oroya, population 35,000, and works at the only state-run hospital there.

Reducing emissions a little does not mean any real health advances, Ana Leyva, head of the Muqui Network, said in a Tierramérica interview.

In the opinion of expert Iván Lanegra, the Executive branch's initiative casts aside the idea that environmental laws for the mining sector should meet the international requirements.

From 1992 to 2007, Peru's mining and energy companies generated investments of more than 24.1 billion dollars, according to the National Society of Mining.

La Oroya is in the central region of Junín. Most of its residents under age six carry a mortal burden: more than 40 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood (mcg/dcl), four times more than the maximum set by the World Health Organization, according to studies conducted by national and international entities in 1999, 2003 and 2005.

Lead poisoning can cause encephalopathy, skin lesions, reduction of intellectual capacities, hyperactivity and aggression.

The ELAW researchers are also concerned that the proposal is to authorize up to 458 milligrams of sulfur dioxide per cubic meter of air, when the World Bank limit only allows 200.

The proposed decree establishes that the emissions limit is subject to the quantity of sulfur that enters the mining process and, in the case that the activities require higher production of toxins, it establishes as tolerable maximums between 183 and 458 milligrams per cubic meter, but may not surpass that limit at any given moment.

According to official information, as of December 2006, Doe Run emitted 810 tons of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere daily.

“In critical situations of public health, like La Oroya, a measure like this represents a serious risk at the end of three years,” commented Mercedes Lu.

Conam states on its website that when there is a concentration of between 400 and 900 micrograms of sulfur dioxide per cubic meter of air, there is an increase in respiratory ailments among asthmatics in the following 24 hours.

In addition, at 500 mcg/cubic meter there is “a worsening among people with pulmonary and heart diseases,” according to Conam.

Lanegra, also manager of Natural Resources and Environmental Management of Junín, told Tierramérica that if the draft proposal takes effect, Doe Run would not be required to comply immediately because the government agreed to extend the compliance period for the company to October 2009.

“As such, the need for standards equivalent to international standards would be the bases for ensuring the requirement for new mining projects,” said Lanegra.

But Leyva believes the project should meet global standards in order to require Doe Run's compliance.

The ELAW experts also recommend resident participation in monitoring the measures and that the Health Ministry intensify its presence in the matter.