Recorded presentation

Juan Almendares Bonilla, MD, Physiology Department, Honduras Medicine School, Universidad Autonoma de Honduras Carretera Suyapa, Tegucigalpa, Honduras, (504) 236 80 27, juan_almendares@hotmail.com

During the XX Century Honduras` main economical activities were: banana, mining, tobacco, and alcohol. One hundred years later, the Hurricane Mitch (1998) floodings displaced the sediments of old mining industries and polluted the rivers and soils with heavy metals (mercury, lead, arsenic and cadmium) towards different parts of the country.

Hurricane Mitch caused 5,657 deaths and an economic loss of 5 Billion US Dollars. One month after Hurricane Mitch, Honduras` Laws were changed and the mining industry was allowed to operate in almost one third of the productive land of Honduras.

In August 2003, a survey of 193 persons in Pedernal (Siria Valley, Honduras), near the mining industry, revealed 80% had itching of the skin, 45% had conjunctivitis and itching of the eyes, 76% rejected consumption of water from the community, and 88% complained about the poor quality and quantity of the water. Further studies require determination of heavy metals.

Learning Objectives:

• Analyze impacts of mining on the environment and public health in Honduras.
• Recognize the damages on the environment by the mining industry.

Keywords: Environment, Public Health

Related Web page: none

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation