Notable case, Abra Pampa, Jujuy, Argentina
Abra Pampa (Metal Huasi smelter)
A small town on Argentina's Puna, at 3,484 metres, where the Metal Huasi lead and silver smelter, closed in 1985, left about 15,000 tonnes of slag next to people's homes.
At a glance
- Status
- Remediation under way
- Activity
- until 1985
- People affected
- 7,496 (2001)1
- Media
- soil, air
- Kind of site
- smelter
- People affected. Urban population at the 2001 INDEC census.
Contaminants
Metals
Status
Remediation under way
The three-year plan begun in 2007 provided for moving the residues to the Aguilar mine, cleaning the site and treating those exposed; according to Spanish Wikipedia residents report delays and incomplete implementation. The present status has not been checked.
Story
Metal Huasi SA produced lead and silver. When it closed in 1985, about 15,000 tonnes of slag and residues were left piled in the plant and on the edge of residential neighbourhoods.
The case became public in 2007, when a survey by INQA at the National University of Jujuy found harmful blood lead levels in 81% of the children tested, many of them close to 30 µg/dL. In the same year Jujuy's Ministry of Health estimated that at least 10% of adults had critical levels. A remediation plan financed by the Inter-American Development Bank followed.
Timeline
- 1985The Metal Huasi smelter closes.
- 2007Blood lead studies and start of the remediation plan.
Health
2007: harmful blood lead levels in 81% of the children analysed (INQA, National University of Jujuy), often close to 30 µg/dL; critical levels in at least 10% of adults (Jujuy Ministry of Health). Figures as reported by Spanish Wikipedia.
Remediation
- 2007waste removalThree-year plan: residues moved to the Aguilar mine and the site cleaned.
From the literature
Species that acted on one of this site's contaminants in at least one study. The list is automatic and takes no account of this site's soil, concentrations or climate.
Plants
- Agrostis capillarisCommon bentEvidence: field
- Cannabis sativaIndustrial hempEvidence: field
- Festuca rubraRed fescueEvidence: field
- Ricinus communisCastor beanEvidence: field
- Robinia pseudoacaciaBlack locustEvidence: field
- Typha latifoliaBroadleaf cattailEvidence: field
Fungi
- Agaricus bisporusButton mushroomEvidence: laboratory
- Mucor circinelloidesEvidence: laboratory
- Saccharomyces cerevisiaeBaker's yeast, brewer's yeastEvidence: laboratory
The rest are on the contaminant pages.
Nearby
Sources
- Abra Pampa, Wikipedia (es), 2026
- Abra Pampa, Wikipedia, 2026
Draft compiled from public sources, not yet reviewed.