More Buyat residents air complaints<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Eleven more residents from around Buyat Bay, Minahasa, North
\nSulawesi, came to National Police Headquarters on Wednesday in an
\nattempt to convince investigators that they were suffering
\nsymptoms of illness due to the effects of pollution.<\/p>\n
Most of the residents had developed swellings on various parts
\nof their bodies, including four babies whose lips, faces and
\ntorsos had swollen up. Others complained of headaches, nausea and
\ncramps.<\/p>\n
One of the residents, Jeane Rorong, 34, said she frequently
\nsuffered from cramps and headaches, while her year-old baby,
\nChrifanes Ismail, had developed a lump on his lip.<\/p>\n
Jeane blamed mining company PT Newmont Minahasa Raya for all
\nher family's woes.<\/p>\n
\"We are demanding that Newmont provide us with medical
\ntreatment and rehabilitate the environment. They take our gold
\nand pollute our environment,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Jane Pangemanan, a village doctor who accompanied the
\nresidents, said the people had left their remote villages to come
\nto Jakarta to draw the government's attention to environmental
\ndestruction and contamination in Buyat Bay.<\/p>\n
\"Government institutions seem to find it difficult to believe
\nthat the Buyat Bay residents are suffering from illnesses as a
\nresult of pollution. They have been very slow to deal with this
\ncase. We hope that these people will be able to convince them,\"
\nsaid Jane.<\/p>\n
A police investigator who recently visited the bay, Comr.
\nSulis, said he had heard similar complaints of illness from many
\nother Buyat residents living near the bay.<\/p>\n
\"However, we will have to wait for the results of our
\nlaboratory tests before arriving at any conclusions. We will
\naccept any reports that come our way and compare them with our
\ntest results,\" said Sulis.<\/p>\n
Previously, four residents had reported the U.S.-based mining
\nfirm to the police for allegedly dumping harmful substances that
\nhad caused illnesses in local residents. They also filed a
\nlawsuit against three ministers for allegedly lying to the
\npublic. The ministers had said that the bay was not contaminated.<\/p>\n
Laboratory tests conducted by the School of Mathematics and
\nNatural Sciences at the University of Indonesia (MIPA UI)
\nrevealed mercury levels in the blood of Sri Fika, Jukria, Masnah,
\nand Rasyid Rahmat of between 9.51 and 23.90 microns per liter
\n(u\/L), above the World Health Organization's maximum limit of 8
\nu\/L.<\/p>\n
Jane said the 11 residents would also undergo blood tests at
\nthe MIPA UI to measure the levels of mercury and arsenic in their
\nbloodstreams.<\/p>\n
However, Keith Bentley, a former WHO regional chemical safety
\nadvisor, said that there were no international standards to
\ndetermine the tolerable level of mercury in human blood.<\/p>\n
\"The 8 u\/L level is just an average level of mercury for the
\nglobal world community, but we have no international standard for
\nmercury levels in the blood. So, it says nothing about the health
\nof the people,\" said Bentley.<\/p>\n
He said the level of mercury in the bloodstream depended on
\nhow much fish people ate every day.<\/p>\n
\"We would expect around 8 u\/L for a low fish-eating community,
\naround 8 to 50 u\/L for a medium fish-eating community, and around
\n50 to 100 u\/L for a high fish-eating community,\" said Bentley.<\/p>\n
He said that the mercury levels in the blood of the four Buyat
\nBay residents who had been tested earlier indicated that they
\ncame from a medium fish-eating community, and that the levels
\nwere therefore normal.<\/p>\n
Bentley said that many people had much higher mercury levels
\nin their blood, but displayed no symptoms of disease.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/more-buyat-residents-air-complaints-1447893297",
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