Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Trade Unionists Denounce Smelter Pollution

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CARACAS, Aug 1 2011 (IPS) - Workers at the state-owned Venalum aluminum smelter in the northeastern Venezuelan city of Guayana report that because of a lack of repairs to the plant’s treatment facilities, toxic gases like toluene and benzene are being directly released into the atmosphere. These gases, which are produced by the baking of anodes in the aluminum reduction process, "come out of the chimney untreated and are inhaled by the workers at Venalum, the workers at the neighboring Orinoco steel mill, and the inhabitants of the surrounding communities," trade union leader Luis Vásquez told Tierramérica.

The workers at the steel mill have also denounced the insufficient functioning of the facilities that are supposed to filter the iron dust that it produces, leading to the creation of a "toxic cocktail", added Vásquez, head of the Union of University Professional Workers in the Venezuelan Aluminum Industry.