“Action Plan to Improve the Air Quality and Health of La Oroya”
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Action Plan for the Improvement of the Air Quality and the Health of La Oroya approved unanimously by the Zonal Air GESTA for information purposes and public consultation pursuant to SD 074-2001-PCM and RP 022-2002-CONAM/PCD. It contains deliberations by the Air GESTA; also the provisions of Directorial Order 157-2006-MEM/AAM). {Braces} indicate that the content is under technical evaluation. “Action Plan to Improve the Air Quality and Health of La Oroya” March 1, 2006 version La Oroya Zonal Air GESTA Proposal for information and public consultation pursuant to SD.074-2001-PCM and RP 022-2002-CONAM/PCD 1 Action Plan for the Improvement of the Air Quality and the Health of La Oroya approved unanimously by the Zonal Air GESTA for information purposes and public consultation pursuant to SD 074-2001-PCM and RP 022-2002-CONAM/PCD. It contains deliberations by the Air GESTA; also the provisions of Directorial Order 157-2006-MEM/AAM). {Braces} indicate that the content is under technical evaluation. Contents Executive Summary. 4 Introduction. 5 1. General information on the Priority Attention Zone. 6 Geography and Climate. 6 Transportation and Industry. 8 Population and Urban Development. 9 2. Identification of the Problem. 9 Sources of Contamination. 9 State of the Air Quality. 10 Social and Health Impact. 11 3. Goals and Objectives. 11 General Objective. 12 Specific Goals and Objectives. 13 4. Measures for the Comprehensive Management of Air Quality. 15 Measures to establish the Air Quality and Health Monitoring Program. 15 Air Quality Monitoring System. 15 Health Impacts Monitoring System. 16 Citizen Information System. 18 Measures to Improve the Air Quality and to Prevent Its Deterioration. 19 Program to Strengthen the Comprehensive Management of Air Quality. 19 Emissions Monitoring Program. 20 Cleanup, Remediation, Organization, and Planning of the Atmospheric Basin Program. 21 Measures to Apply During States of Alert. 22 5. Financing 23 6. Evaluation and Follow-Up. 24 Graphics 25 Tables 26 Annex 1 28 Annex 2 31 2 Action Plan for the Improvement of the Air Quality and the Health of La Oroya approved unanimously by the Zonal Air GESTA for information purposes and public consultation pursuant to SD 074-2001-PCM and RP 022-2002-CONAM/PCD. It contains deliberations by the Air GESTA; also the provisions of Directorial Order 157-2006-MEM/AAM). {Braces} indicate that the content is under technical evaluation. ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS CONAM National Board of the Environment DIGESA General Department of Environmental Health DIRESA Regional Department of Health DESA Executive Department of ECA Air Quality Standards FONAM National Fund for the Environment GESTA Environmental Air Quality Technical Studies Group UNCED United Nations Conference on Environment SENAMHI National Weather and Hydrology Service SENATI National Industrial Labor Training Service DRP Doe Run Peru SRL CMP Centromín Perú SLGA Local Environmental Management System PM10 Particles with a diameter of less than 10 microns PM2.5 Particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 microns NO2 Nitrogen Dioxide SO2 Sulfur Dioxide O3 Ozone VOCs Volatile Organic Compounds WHO World Health Organization WTO World Trade Organization CO Carbon monoxide GNV Vehicular Natural Gas PTS Total suspended particles dl Deciliter µg Microgram 3 Action Plan for the Improvement of the Air Quality and the Health of La Oroya approved unanimously by the Zonal Air GESTA for information purposes and public consultation pursuant to SD 074-2001-PCM and RP 022-2002-CONAM/PCD. It contains deliberations by the Air GESTA; also the provisions of Directorial Order 157-2006-MEM/AAM). {Braces} indicate that the content is under technical evaluation. Action Plan for the Improvement of the Air Quality and the Health of La Oroya Executive Summary The city of La Oroya, considered a priority attention zone in the country, faces the challenge of seeking an adequate relationship among health, the environment, and development. An expression of that is this “Action Plan for the Improvement of the Air Quality and the Health of La Oroya,” whose purpose is to establish in a concerted and participatory fashion the strategies, policies, and measures needed to achieve primary air-quality standards within a specific time frame and also to implement effective measures to protect the population by reducing its exposure to pollution. The Action Plan is based on international political and legal antecedents and international, regional, and local programs and on the multidisciplinary and multi-sectorial work that was performed around the Zonal Air GESTA. The Baseline Diagnostic precedes the Plan and constitutes the principal source for its design. The air pollution problem in the City of La Oroya is associated with sulfur dioxide, particles under 10 microns {{and 2.5 microns}}, lead, other heavy metals and gases. The conclusions of the Baseline Diagnostic in relation to the air quality monitoring performed determined that sulfur dioxide (SO2) pollution and particles under 10 microns (PM10) exceed the transitional values established in Annex No. 2 of the National Environmental Air Quality Standards Regulation, air pollution with lead (Pb) exceeds the values of the national standard established in Annex No. 1 of that selfsame Regulation. The objective of the Plan is to protect the health of people and the environment principally by reducing net emissions from stacks and fugitive emissions from the metallurgical complex, as well as by controlling environmental liabilities according to the responsibilities that belong to Doe Run Peru and Centromín Perú, respectively. Supplemental health and environmental measures will also be adopted to mitigate the effects on the health of people, especially the most vulnerable population, while ECA values are achieved for particles under 10 microns (PM10) the year 2007 [sic]; for lead (Pb) ECA values by the year 2007; and for sulfur dioxide (SO2) ECA values for the year {2008-2010}. To that end activities have been established aimed at reducing emissions of pollutants by modernizing the metallurgical complex, PAMA projects and such supplemental projects as are necessary to comply with the environmental commitments assumed with the Peruvian State by the operator of the metallurgical complex, and also to reduce exposure by children to contamination by promoting healthy educational and family alternatives, facilitate the adoption of hygiene habits among the population, the necessary epidemiological and environmental monitoring and strengthen the organization and planning of the atmospheric basin. CONAM will coordinate the performance, evaluation, and public reporting of the Action Plan with the competent authorities, as well as the corresponding auditing, within the Local Environmental Management System, without prejudice to those that belong to the National Control System. The actions have been groups into several programs which as a whole require financing in the order of {US$ 6,700,000 dollars or approximately S/. 23,175,000 sols over a 5-year horizon}. 4 Action Plan for the Improvement of the Air Quality and the Health of La Oroya approved unanimously by the Zonal Air GESTA for information purposes and public consultation pursuant to SD 074-2001-PCM and RP 022-2002-CONAM/PCD. It contains deliberations by the Air GESTA; also the provisions of Directorial Order 157-2006-MEM/AAM). {Braces} indicate that the content is under technical evaluation. Introduction The relationship that exists among health, the environment, and development is evident and the efforts that are undertaken internationally, regionally, and nationally to integrate them are significant. On the international plan for the protection and promoting of human health, the reduction in the risks to health derived from pollution and environmental hazards is one of the principle program areas of Agenda 21.1 The general objective consists of reducing risks to the minimum and maintaining the environment at a level such that human health and safety are not affected or jeopardized, and that development continues to be promoted. Within the local context, the city of La Oroya, considered a priority attention zone in the country,2 is fully facing this challenge, this “Action Plan to improve the air quality,” whose purpose is to establish the strategy, policies, and measures necessary to achieve the primary air-quality standards within a specific time frame, being an expression of that. However, considering that there are high levels of contamination at La Oroya, and that achievement of the ECA’s will be a gradual process, it becomes necessary to implement effective measures to prevent the deterioration of the air quality, as well, and, above all, to protect the vulnerable population by preventing health risks and avoiding excessive exposure to contaminants that might damage health.3 This is also the purpose of the additional actions and management instruments instituted in recent years by the authorities and operators, among them: a) the MINSA-DRP4 agreement “to slowly reduce the levels of lead in the blood of the population at greatest risk of exposure and most susceptible”; b) the precept that enables the extension of the performance of the environmental projects established in the PAMAs5 which include, among other things, an “analytical study of health risks”; c) the priority projects for immediate environmental mitigation instituted by the owner of the metallurgical complex6 as a result of the risk study; and d) the health protection measures