Bulletin of the World Health Organization

Lead exposure from soil in Peruvian mining towns: a national assessment supported by two contrasting examples

Alexander van Geen, Carolina Bravo, Vladimir Gil, Shaky Sherpa & Darby Jack

Volume 90, Number 12, December 2012, 878-886

Table 1. Mining-related buffersa with a population greater than  10 000, Peru, 2009

Rank Mining companyb and site type Province No. of legaciesc No. of active mines No. of smelters No. of ore processing plants Total no. of sites Population in each buffer Area (km2)
1 Legacies only Tayacaja, Huancayo 52 0 0 0 52 129 306 280
2 Volcan, Cerro de Pasco Pasco, Daniel Alcides Carrión, Ambo 349 12 0 9 370 119 178 1659
3 Legacies only Tayacaja, Huancayo 33 0 0 0 33 102 052 343
4 Barrick Misquichilca, Huinac Recuay, Huaraz, Carhuaz, Aija 293 1 0 4 298 88 471 1059
5 Legacies only Cusco 2 0 0 0 2 67 499 81
6 Legacies only Huánuco, Ambo 177 0 0 0 177 59 886 760
7 Legacies only Puno 1 0 0 0 1 40 862 81
8 Santa Rosa, Pan American Silver, San Simón, Barrick Misquichilca Otuzco, Sánchez Carrión, Santiago de Chuco 337 6 0 4 347 39 972 1290
9 Huarochirí, Millotingo, Fortuna, Volcan, Perubar, Casapalca, Corona, Centraminas, Natividad, Austria Duvaz, Huampar Yauli, Huarochirí 341 11 0 14 366 34 887 1800
10 Ramiro López Huancavelica 159 1 0 1 161 33 547 495
11 Boulder Resources Arequipa, General Sánchez Cerro 152 0 0 1 153 29 947 634
12 Refinería de Zinc de Cajamarquilla Lima 1 0 1 1 3 29 116 83
13 Legacies only Huamanga 1 0 0 0 1 26 393 79
14 Doe Run Perú Yauli 0 0 1 1 2 21 709 81
15 Colquisiri Huaral 4 1 0 1 6 21 705 90
16 Nueva California Yungay, Huaraz 13 1 0 1 15 20 685 320
17 Corona, Colquirrumi, San Nicolás Hualgayoc 969 2 0 3 974 19 772 284
18 Legacies only Huancayo 2 0 0 0 2 19 243 81
19 Legacies only Ilo 3 0 0 0 3 18 755 102
20 Negociación Minera Cañete 0 0 0 1 1 17 861 79
21 Legacies only Quispicanchi 1 0 0 0 1 17 178 80
22 Legacies only Canchis, Canas 21 0 0 0 21 17 042 463
23 Pantac Robles José, Larrea Galarza Julio Ernesto, Complejo Minero Industrial Nazca 17 0 0 3 20 14 047 373
24 Mina Justa, Marcona, Justa Nazca 0 3 0 0 3 12 320 153
25 Trinidad, Sayapullo Gran Chimú, Otuzco, Cajamarca 60 0 0 2 62 12 086 350
26 Legacies only Julcán 3 0 0 0 3 11 105 134
27 Condestable Cañete 0 2 0 2 4 10 236 93
28 Los Quenuales, Las Cumbres, Halcón de Gorgor, Buenaventura, Atacocha Cajatambo, Oyón, Daniel Alcides Carrión, Pasco 112 5 0 5 122 10 061 1073
29 Sacracancha, Pachapaqui, CC Y S Corporation, Santa Luisa, Huallanca Bolognesi, Recuay 335 7 0 5 347 10 007 1037

a A circle with a radius of 5 km, termed a “buffer”, was drawn around each site with an active mining operation or a mining legacy associated with lead in soil. If there was an overlap between two or more sites, the circles were merged into a single buffer.

b Only a partial list of mining companies is given.

c Legacies of past mining operations.