| La Zacatecana, Zacatecas, 19/09/2002 – Preliminary findings of a soil and vegetation sampling program in the Zacatecas area of Mexico confirm the presence of heavy metals, and substantiate the need for a continuing investigation to determine the impact on human health and the environment in the region.
The findings were presented today during a two-day public workshop on mercury contamination in Zacatecas, an area six hours north of Mexico City and long a site for silver and gold mining operations. Consultants hired by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation of North America (CEC) launched the study in July, taking samples of soil and vegetation from fields that once were used as dumping grounds for mine tailings, and analyzing the samples for the presence of mercury and other toxic elements.
The preliminary report confirms that mercury, arsenic, lead, as well as other metals occur in several samples taken in agricultural fields and publicly accessible areas in and around the town of La Zacatecana, located on the western side of the Laguna el Pedernalillo. Previous samples from the lagoon have revealed water and sediment contamination by mercury and other metals. A final report from the CEC's sampling program is expected within a month.
The public workshop follows a two-day meeting of the Mercury Task Force, comprising representatives from the CEC, Mexico's environmental and health sectors, Environment Canada, Health Canada, and the US Environmental Protection Agency. The soil and vegetation sampling project is an initiative of the CEC's Sound Management of Chemicals (SMOC) program, through which Canada, Mexico and the United States are cooperating to reduce the risks of toxic substances to human health and the environment throughout North America.
The CEC's SMOC program provides a forum for: a) identifying priority persistent toxic substances of regional concern; b) developing North American Regional Action Plans (NARAPs) to address these priority issues; c) overseeing implementation of approved NARAPs; and d) facilitating and encouraging capacity building in support of the overall goals of SMOC, with emphasis on the implementation of NARAPs.
The SMOC program has identified mercury as a top priority due to its high toxicity and, like DDT, its tendency to persist in the environment and accumulate in the human body. A goal of the Mercury Task Force is to define the scope of the problem in Mexico. The Zacatecas region heavy metals project is one of three underway to measure the degree of mercury pollution in specific areas of the country. A second project involves measuring mercury in rain in Puerto Angel, on the Oaxacan coast, and Huejutla, in the state of Hildago. The task force is also examining ambient air levels of mercury in the Zacatecas region, Puerto Angel, Huejutla and Mexico City.
The CEC was established by Canada, Mexico and the United States to build cooperation among the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners in implementing of the North America Agreement for Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), the environmental side accord to NAFTA. The CEC addresses environmental issues of continental concern, with particular attention to the environmental challenges and opportunities presented by continent-wide free trade.
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