Cerro de Pasco
Perú
Cerro de Pasco
Anderson is 10 years old and is currently in a Peruvian government Child Protection Center. He was separated from his family due to physical and verbal abuse from his mother, which led to him being hospitalized.
Behavioral changes in Anderson’s mother became visible about two years ago. She began experiencing depression and memory problems, which escalated into psychotic episodes.
Cases of adults, both women and men, showing these symptoms surged in Cerro de Pasco, Peru. As a result, the civil association Source International conducted a study among the residents displaying these symptoms, including Anderson’s mother.
The investigation revealed that these individuals had high levels of arsenic, lead, and cadmium in their blood, caused by mining contamination from international companies. Heavy metal poisoning can damage organs, cause behavioral changes, and lead to difficulties with thinking and memory.
Cerro de Pasco, Peru.
The city swallowed by a mine.
The Peruvian city of Cerro de Pasco is known as "the mining capital of Peru." It sits at 4,300 meters above sea level, making it one of the highest cities in the world.
A century ago, it was highly developed and the second largest city in the country. Today, it is officially declared in a state of "environmental emergency," according to the decision of the Ministry of Health of the Andean nation, forcing its inhabitants to move to the outskirts and other nearby towns.
In the middle of the city lies a giant hole nearly two kilometers long, one kilometer wide, and almost half a kilometer deep, which continues to expand.
The city’s historic center, founded at the end of the 16th century, no longer exists; it was "swallowed" by the mine, which continues to advance over neighborhoods built in the 1960s by displaced people trying to move away from the mine.
Around the mine, there is an exclusion zone full of abandoned houses. The mine pollutes lakes and rivers with toxic waste, leaving the city without potable water.
Sixty percent of the population suffers from high levels of lead in their blood, with children being the most affected. They experience developmental and learning problems, and many suffer from pain, seizures, and organ dysfunctions.
Between 2010 and 2014, the mining company Volcán received more environmental fines than any other mining firm in Peru, many of which were never paid.
Many houses in the city are abandoned, and those who want to leave find it difficult to sell their homes, despite the very low property prices.
