Although the lead concentrations in blood decreased considerably in recent decades, poisoning with this heavy metal continues to be a worrying phenomenon in Latin America. The consumption of contaminated water from old pipes, acid batteries, certain paints, fires, burning waste and even the exhaust (leaded naphtha used in the aviation industry) continue to cause persistent damage to the environment and human health, details the site SciDev.Net.
In high concentrations, lead can cause cognitive and neuromotor impairments, with about 600,000 cases of intellectual disability in children each year. Its absorption is also associated with cardiovascular, respiratory, hepatic, renal and reproductive conditions.
Argentina in environmental default: our natural resources are in the red
After Africa, South America is the region with the highest concentrations. The issue is especially sensitive in Peru, where more than 10 million people (31 percent of the population) are exposed to heavy metals and other chemical substances, according to the Ministry of Health itself. Of these, 80 percent are children up to eleven years old. The operations of mining companies such as Cerro de Pasco, which dumped lead, mercury and other toxic minerals in soil and water for decades, led to multiple cases of chronic leukemia and severe bone marrow aplasia.
In Mexico, a study revealed that 17 percent of children (1.4 million) between one and four years old were intoxicated by this metal. Most of the mothers of those affected had used glazed earthenware utensils during pregnancy, whose sealing enamel is made from lead.
Heavy metals, a hidden enemy
The main sources of exposure in Argentina are mega-mining operations; environmental liabilities (abandoned facilities) of industries and foundries; synthetic enamel paints and the poor final disposal of batteries and electronic devices. Despite this, only 3% of children up to six years old had levels associated with possible contamination, according to a study published in La Plata in 2022. Thirteen years ago, the percentage exceeded 15% among Cordovan children.
For the numbers to continue to drop, the Rosario NGO Ecologist Workshop recommends advancing in a law that prohibits lead in paints, making an inventory of contaminated sites with proposals for urgent restoration, avoiding the incineration of hazardous industrial waste and advancing in communication campaigns to raise awareness about the serious and irreversible risks involved in acute exposure and prolonged to that harmful substance.
AO JL
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