TRACK No.2                                                 

ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND PUBLIC HEALTH ON THE BORDER

Main Objective of the Track:

      To establish the need and importance of linking environmental contamination to human health in the border, to start a discussion between specialists and to explore possible solutions.

Introduction:

      The U.S. – Mexico border comprises 2 countries, 10 states, 25 American counties, 79 Mexican municipalities, 27 Indian tribes -federally recognized-, and 14 pairs of twin cities. This border region is rich in flora and fauna, and several types of soil (deserts, mountains, rivers, aquifers) as well as a variety of climates, which in turn contributes to a great biological diversity. Added to this biological richness, the border region is diverse in its population, culture, languages, dialects, customs, legislation, politics and economics.

      In spite of that, contamination is a serious problem in the border, because it affects the environment which is the basis of both economies, and it affects human health, which is at the core of society’s wellbeing.

      It is noteworthy that both, the North American Development Bank (NadBank) and the Border Environmental Cooperation Commission (BECC) have been key institutions in helping the community and the public and private sectors to promote sustainable development through the implementation of environmental infrastructure programs and the financial help to sustain them.

Discussion:

      Current population of the border numbers nearly 13 million inhabitants. During the last 20 years, the total population has grown and it is projected that by the year 2020 it will reach the 20 million mark. This rapid growth is the result of domestic immigration and the economic policies, designed by the federal government, such as the Border Industrialization Program (BIP), which brought about the maquiladora industry. In spite of the rapid increase in job creation, population growth has surpassed the capability of the infrastructure, and a substantial contamination is evident in the local communities and transborder regions.

      Water quality is of utmost importance in relation to human health. The NAFTA Side Agreements established two institutions, BECC and NADBank, to certify and to channel funds to address the most serious water problems, especially in regard to drinking water projects and waste water treatment. In its December 2004 Report, BACC/NADBank informs that 105 infrastructure projects have been certified in the border, with a total of $697 million dollar authorized for some 85 of such projects. Nevertheless, there still are border cities that are not fully covered by drinking water service, and don’t have any water treatment plants.

      The sources of air pollution share some similarities on both sides of the border. Factors that affect the quality of the air include, vehicles, trucks energy plants, cement plants, ports of entry, industrial plants, dust flow, streets without pavement, agriculture, municipal dumps and forest fires among others.

      Even though the documentation on the implications and consequences of pesticides on human health is not abundant, there is enough information to know that this factor affects particularly the migrant community that lives in the border states. Most of these migrant workers settle in areas where agriculture is the main economic activity who work in the fields without sufficient knowledge and protection regarding the effects of the pesticides on its health.

     Industrialization in the border region has meant a high degree of residual contaminants, and the absence of an adequate system for monitoring them. After the EPA ended the only monitoring system for the transportation of toxic waste that crosses from Mexico into the U.S., known as HazTraks, it has become more difficult to have a data base of such pollutants.

Implications on Human Health:

      Some of the most obvious consequences of exposure to these pollutants are the following: Hepatitis A, escherichia coli, campylobacter, enteroviruses: also asthma, cardio-vascular problems, strokes, genetic defects, cancer, silicosis and emphysema. Another serious problem particularly seen in children are the implications and consequences of exposure to lead. Lead used in the border region is found mainly in lead-based paint used in furniture and old doors, in ceramic articles, on the floors of some industrial plants. Some of its consequences are reflected in brain damage, nervous system, red globules and kidneys.

      This track looks for solutions to these problems that should be implemented in a binational context, with an emphasis in establishing a balance and an interaction between the private and public sectors, interested organizations and academics and researchers.