By Flaviano Bianchini | Project Leader
We just publish our last report on the heavy metals accumulation and the IQ of the children of the communities of Paragsha and José Carlos Mariategui, in the city of Cerro de Pasco.
This is an innovative study that has never been done before in a mining city like Cerro de Pasco. We analyzed the concentration of heavy metals in the hair of the children and we compare it with the Intelligent Quotient. We know that one of the main effects of heavy metals accumulation is the reduction of the development of the brain and therefore the impact on the IQ. So we decided to study if the IQ of the children of Cerro de Pasco is somehow impacted by the heavy metals accumulation.
The results are alarming.
First of all, after years, the concentration of heavy metals in the body of the children of Cerro de Pasco, remains very high. The concentration of lead in the hair of the children of Cerro is 45 times higher than the European average and 5 times higher than the kids of Carhuamayo, a city nearby with similar conditions. Arsenic is also twice the limit and four times the concentration in the kids of Carhuamayo.
The average IQ of the children of Cerro de Pasco is 12.3 points lower than the average IQ of the children of Carhuamayo. While in Carhuamayo only 6% of the children have an IQ below the national average, in Cerro this percentage is 41%. In Carhuamayo 17.6% of the children have an IQ “normal-high” in comparison with only 1.2% of the children of Paragsha.
The brain develops in the first 6 and half years so all these children have a compromised future. Children who could have the potential to become an engineer will probably struggle in finish the secondary school because of the pollution caused by the mine. We are denying the future to the children of Cerro de Pasco!
Tuesday, March the 2nd we will present the results in Cerro de Pasco. The municipality of Paragsha will host the event, the regional government and a few congressmen have already confirmed their participation. Our Executive Director Flaviano is already in Cerro de Pasco and he will present the results to the authorities and the population as well.
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