Residents in the areas affected by the escape of calcined alumina dust from Bauxilum estimate that the health of 1,200 families is at risk due to prolonged exposure to the contaminating material. They have to wear masks while inside their residences and some have breathing difficulties
Text and photos: Laura Clisánchez | Mail of the Caroni
Residents of sectors affected by the leak of calcined alumina (aluminum oxide) from CVG Bauxilum, protested on the morning of this Friday, September 9, to demand that the state company cease emissions of the material, which is spread in the form of dust, and a production that prioritizes the health of citizens.
Those affected wrote a letter in which they ask Ernest Riveropresident of Bauxilum, to review the production process and undertake the proper maintenance of the calciners to avoid failures in their parts and, therefore, leaks of material harmful to health.
Before sending the written petition, the residents hope to collect at least 100 signatures from residents of the Villa Ikabarú, Sierra Parima, El Guamo, Camino Real, Las Acacias sectors and areas surrounding the factory, in Puerto Ordaz.
At least 1,200 families exposed
Those who live in residences located on the Atlántico axis and Paseo Caroní avenue are exposed to aluminum oxide emissions from the CVG Bauxilum calcination plant since Monday, September 5. The reason for the leak, the workers explain, is the failure of the filter that, under normal conditions, prevents the material from leaving the environment.
The protesters estimate that the health of at least 1,200 families is at risk. They assure that inside their houses they must wear masks and that they present cough, irritation in the eyes and, in some cases, respiratory difficulty.
One of the protesters demands that Bauxilum cease the emission of polluting dust that covers residential areas. Photo Laura Clisánchez
«We want to draw the attention of those who run the basic companies, in this case Bauxilum, that since its calciner without filter started up, the houses have been flooded with alumina dust. Our children get sick and our elderly too, we are breathing all that. We need them to solve this public health problem, because we don’t even have well-equipped hospitals to care for us after this company’s malpractice,” said Yubirit Mora, a resident of Villa Ikabarú.
“Here nobody is saying that it is wrong for the company to produce, what we do not want is for it to produce at the expense of our health. So that? To give an impression of productivity that we don’t have because we don’t even have a national electrical system that works like it should,” he added.
No official information is available on the current concentration of the material in the environment. Although aluminum oxide is not considered a dangerous, toxic or corrosive substance per se, prolonged inhalation in certain concentrations can cause eye or skin irritation, allergies, respiratory distress and inflammation of the bronchi, especially in people with respiratory pathologies. base, according to specialists and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Questions without answers
The Standards on Air Quality and Control of Atmospheric Pollution in Venezuela establish that the maximum limit of concentration of particles in the environment is 75 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3). The allowed concentration established at the chimney outlet for any solid particle is 150 milligrams per cubic meter.
That on paper. But there is no quantitative information available to accurately define the problem or how much concentration of the material is in the environment due to the leak or, if it exceeds the established parameters, how much it exceeds them.
Although after four days of silence, Bauxilum acknowledged the aluminum oxide emissions, it evaded explaining the causes of the leak and assuming the health risks of inhaling and being in contact with these particles.
In addition to this, Bauxilum also did not specify how long it will take to solve the problem or how much is the concentration of the material that is coming out of the chimney. The general secretary of Sutralumina reported that they will activate calciner 101 to stop the damaged calciner, which is 102.
“This is hurting people a lot, this city has many occupational patients. This is getting worse with the lack of medicines, doctors, facilities… And it can be more serious. We ask the competent authorities to take action on the matter so that cases like these are not repeated,” said Raúl Robles, a resident of Villa Ikabarú.
Robles stated that since Sunday he has presented respiratory symptoms that he considers serious and that he attributes to the inhalation of aluminum oxide.
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