By Franzi Grieser | Franzi Grieser
Yanpol is 8 years old and lives in Paragsha; he lives in the center of the village, near the open gorge of the local minery, surrounded by heaps of contaminated soil from the minery. He lives with his parents in a simple house, where there is no electricity nor running water; as a result, Yanpol, his family, and everyone in the village will collect the rain and the snow to drink. However, this collected rain water is polluted with high levels of contaminants. And Yanpol’s story is not the only one. In fact, nearly all the inhabitants of the city Cerro de Pasco, located in the central region of Peru –a city commonly referred to as the “minery town of Peru”, “capital city of minery of Peru”, “real city of mines” – everyone is drinking the polluted rainwater. Nearly everyone in the city collects water from the rusty rooftops of their houses, leaving the city’s people with nothing more than contaminated water to drink.
When Yanpol was 2 yeas old, his parents found out the horrific news that he had more than 20 micrograms per deciliter of lead in his blood. The World Health Organization (WHO) deems a safe blood level for children to be 10 micrograms per deciliter. In 2013 his level was 10.63μg/dL and in 2014 it rose to 13.24 μg/dL.
The effects of the mine’s pollution are severe. Because of the exposure to high lead levels, Yanpol sometimes has bloody noses and heavy headaches. More frequently though, Yanpol reports that his bones hurt, bouts of vomiting, and a general loss of appetite. As a result, Yanpol is not gaining weight and not developing properly as an 8 year old should. Because of his condition, his mother spends nearly all her time taking care of him with the constant fear of losing him. Yanpol’s older brother has the same symptoms.
Because of cases like Yanpol’s and many others, we want to improve the living conditions for the children in Cerro de Pasco.
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Yanpol tiene 6 años y vive en Paragsha, centro poblado que se encuentra a un costado de tajo abierto de la empresa minera y rodeado de desmontes mineros. Vive con sus padres en una casa humilde, no tienen luz électrica, tampoco agua; por ello la lluvia y la nevada es una gran oportunidad, todos incluido Yanpol consumen esta agua de las lluvias, agua contaminada. En realidad no es un caso único, casi todos los pobladores de la ciudad de Cerro de Pasco, ciudad ubicada en la Región Central del Perú, ciudad con títulos como “Villa Minera del Perú”, “Capital Minera del Perú”, “Ciudad Real de Minas”, todos beben agua de la lluvia, agua que recogen de la gotera de los techos de las viviendas cuyas calaminas, también se ven oxidados, de seguro por el ambiente.
Cuando Yanpol tenía dos años, sus padres se enteraron – en base de un estudio en el año 2012 – de la terrible noticia que él tenía más de 20 microgramos por decilitro de plomo en su sangre, cuando la Organización Mundial de Salud establece como permisible 10 microgramos por decilitro de sangre de este metal. En 2013 tenia un resultado de 10.63 de plomo en su sangre, en 2014 13.24.
Como resultado de esta intoxicación tiene dolores de los huesos, frecuentemente tiene vómitos y no tiene apetito y por lo mismo no logra subir de peso; en algunas oportunidades le sangró la nariz y sufre de fuertes dolores de cabeza. Así su madre dedica su tiempo completo e cuidarlo por temor de perderlo. También el hermano mayor de Yanpol se encuentra en similares condiciones.
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