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‘Environmental catastrophe’ declared in Chile as arsenic contamination detected in water at up to 360 times accepted levels
An arid region of Chile off the South Pacific Coast has been declared an environmental catastrophe after tests revealed the presence of toxic heavy metals like lead and arsenic in rivers, lakes and groundwater serving nearby population centers. The Santiago Times reports that the city of Arica is particularly affected, as contaminated water piped into the city is making children sick.
The issue stems from 20,000 tons of toxic smelting waste that was imported into the port of Arica some 30 years ago from Sweden. A Swedish mining company known as Boliden had made an arrangement with the Chilean company Promel to recycle this waste, a project that reports indicate was never actually completed.
As a result, the waste was dumped on nearby lands and abandoned, where for years it seeped into groundwater unbeknownst to locals who continued to use it for other purposes. The region also became an industrial hotspot for mining and other operations that contributed even more pollution to the area, including water sources that irrigate crops growing in the Azapa Valley …. http://www.naturalnews.com
Source: http://luismmx.blogspot.com/2014/04/environmental-catastrophe-declared-in.html
