Mexico factory that imports US toxic waste to relocate after Guardian report | Mexico

A factory that treats hazardous American waste in Mexico has promised to move what the authorities call for its “most polluting” operations following an investigation by the goalkeeper.

The factory of the metropolitan area of ​​Monterrey recycles dust in toxic steel sent by the American steel industry and Covers zinc, according to this report, which was produced in partnership with Quinto Elemento Lab, an investigative journalism unit in Mexico. He revealed evidence of pollution of heavy metals in the surrounding neighborhoods.

The factory, zinc nacional, has since been faced with inspections and threats of closures by environmental regulators, courts of the courts and meticulous media exam.

The neighbors organized repeated demonstrations outside the plant, carrying signs with slogans such as “Take Your Gousd in the United States” and “your millions are not worth our life”.

Business said that it operates “in accordance with each applicable regulation”, and that by recovering zinc from by-products from the steel industry, it saves precious materials by going to the landfills.

In a letter to the authorities of the state of Nuevo León, the company has now undertaken to distance its most “intensive” operations from its current location in the middle of the Metropolitan Region of Monterrey within two years. He did not specify where, except that it would be “outside the metropolitan region of Monterrey” and that the company would keep “more than a thousand jobs”. He also promised to build a huge enclosure to contain his materials on his existing site, some of which are currently uncovered and to plant more trees around his land.

Zinc Nacional did not provide any answers to journalists’ questions on the details of the plan.

“This is something that has never happened before – companies are starting to close operations voluntarily,” said Eugenio Peña, operations director of Zinc Nacional, according to the recordings of a meeting with neighbors and the environment for the Mexican state of Nuevo León last week. He said this decision was a small step in resolving the “complex environmental problem in the Monterrey region”.

“For us, this is a very important step, and that involves a monstrous sum of money. We want to continue to collaborate, to be an open company. ”

In a press release, the office of the Environment Secretary of the State of Nuevo León said: “It would be a historic event for the metropolis if the zinc nacional deployed the most polluting processes outside the metropolitan region of Monterrey.”

Some neighbors have expressed skepticism that the company really followed its promises. Many of them say that they have faced dust and smoke from the plant for years and that they fear that pollution causes a disease, especially for children and the elderly in the neighborhood.

“In their proposal, there is no mention of the affected citizens, even less to talk about health or damage repairs,” said Ricardo González, a district activist, who wonders if the contamination of the plant may have contributed to years of illness. He said that the company continues to maintain “that they comply and do everything correctly”.

“So, for me, this proposal is completely disconnected from reality,” he said.

The sampling of the soils carried out by a university toxicologist in collaboration with the survey showed high levels of lead, cadmium and arsenic in houses, schools and sites in the neighborhood – including an elementary school which had 1,760 times the level of American action for lead dust in its benefits. The reports of the company’s emissions to the government show that it releases lead, cadmium and arsenic in the air.

But Peña told the neighbors that despite the relocation plans of Zinc Nacional, he disputes the research in toxicology which found heavy metals near his plant. He said that more samples should have been taken and that the university laboratory that had analyzed the soil had no certification of federal environmental agencies for such industrial samples.

“We have not yet been made public to discredit it, but at one point, the truth will be released,” he said. “Because it affects people – it scares neighbors.”

“Obviously, the competent authorities should conduct a more complete study, which follows all the legal protocols, so that you can build a solid case,” he said.

The researcher, Martín Soto Jiménez, professor at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, said that he had always been willing to explain his methodology, his certifications and his conclusions to the company.

“We have raised the alarm of the pollution that occurred,” he said. “But all the decisions concerning the closure, whether temporary or permanent, were based and supported on the spot by the observations of the inspectors.”

The Federal Agency of Mexico Environmental Investigation, known as professions, conducts surveys on nacional zinc on several fronts, including air and soil tests. He refused to renew the company’s “clean industry” certificate, which she has had for years, and announced an audit of the environmental consultants that the company has hired to obtain it. “Profeupass seeks to ensure that all companies with professor certification in fact have good environmental performance,” the agency said in a statement.

Twice in the past two months, the state government has said that it had closed ovens at the factory.

The company said that it had cooperated with the inspectors and had a plan to accelerate pollution control investments and reduce its environmental footprint. On April 11, he won a provisional order from the court which will allow him to remain in activity while the affair passed before the courts.

Glen Zambrano, Director of State Parks and Wildlife, lives near the factory and was vocal against pollution.

“It was predictable that they would fight-it is a massive company. And we planned it,” he said in an interview.

He said the region’s soil and fauna were also tested for heavy metal contamination.

“We analyze the soil samples and the blood of the mammals that we have captured in the region.”

Families with schoolchildren in the region have also looked for blood tests and information on pollutants and their health effects.

Cristóbal Palacios, a neighborhood leader, said that some residents hoped to form a committee to ensure that progress is made on questions surrounding the nacional zinc, in collaboration with professional researchers who can assess pollution in the region and its effects.

“There is currently no consensus,” said Palacios. “Some people believe that what zinc offers today is only a plan to develop more as a business. The agreement seems practical to them, but completely ignores the population that has already been affected. ”