HEALTH Fact Sheet distributed by La Brea Concerned Citizens United

DON’T BE FOOLED AGAIN – Alutrint Smelter and our Health FACT!

Now here is an important fact. Alutrint was legally required to make a Social Engagement and Implementation Plan (SEIP). In this plan it claims to have a programme to meet regularly with residents.

This plan says that MONTHLY Forums are to be held with the Village Councils and representatives from organisations. It says that “The primary objective ... is to provide regular updates on the Alutrint Project... to obtain feedback from community representatives. This will also facilitate a direct assessment of any environmental and or socio-economic conflicts concerning the proposed project” (page 7 of the SEIP).

The SEIP says that “Public meetings will be held every quarter. These meetings will be publicised via a roving public address system throughout the project affected communities and advertisements in the daily newspapers” (page 10 of the SEIP).

Alutrint has known that we have to be tested for Cancer over one year now – since February 2008. You ever heard about a meeting where this was discussed with our representatives?
Have they told you? Have they told representatives at these Monthly Forums they claim to be having?

Has anyone ever heard of or attended a public quarterly meeting called by Alutrint?
In the news recently Alutrint says that at the right time they will roll out the Plan and its benefits to the community. You joking, right?

So this is a benefit? That they come here and put us at risk for Cancer and other diseases and the benefit is we get to go to a doctor every two years and check if we and our children are getting sick? If this is really benefit, why hasn’t Alutrint run out and told us?

Could it be that they want the smelter built first so we can’t stop it? Then they will leave us here fuh dead and to watch our sick children ten years from now, knowing we did nothing when we had the chance?

GET THE FACTS. STAND UP FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY.
COME OUT AND JOIN OTHER VILLAGERS TO STAND UP TOGETHER.
EITHER THE SMELTER GOES AND RESIDENTS GET REGULARISED OR WE ALL GET RELOCATED

For more information come out to Meetings
Together We Will !!!

In February 2008, the Caribbean Health Research Council and the International Institute for Healthcare and Human Development prepared a Medical Monitoring Plan (MMP) for the Alutrint Aluminium Smelter Complex. The following is taken directly from Alutrint’s Medical Monitoring Plan:

What will happen to those of us left here to live near the smelter?
The some Four Thousand and Seventy Seven (4,077) people living within two kilometres of the Smelter Complex – residents of Union Village, Vessigny, Vance River and Sobo – in what is termed the ‘Beltline Community’ would have to be tested for Cancer every two years
(page 11 of the MMP).

What is the truth about the technology Alutrint is using?
“It cannot be stated categorically that no adverse outcomes are expected from the pre-bake process. The published literature on cancer studies of pre-bake workers concluded... that the situation is unclear and further follow up with larger numbers of cases would clarify the issue” (page 31 of the MMP)

“Potential primary disease indications usually associated with aluminium smelters with pre-bake technology included: Industrial Asthma, (acute airway obstruction ‘pot room asthma’), Chronic Obstruction Pulmonary Disease/Chronic Bronchitis, Pulmonary Fibrosis, Lung and Bladder Cancer” (page 31 of the MMP)

“Workers employed in part of the smelter called “the anode baking process” may also be exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)... There is abundant scientific evidence that chronic exposure to PAHs have the potential to cause cancer in humans”
(page 32 of the MMP).

Let us see what exactly is going to happen to us:

“All Residents of the ‘Beltline Community’ are to be monitored every two years for Pulmonary Function Test, Chest X-Ray, Complete Blood Count, Clinical Chemistries, TB Test, Urine Fluoride Test” (page 58 of the Plan)... “All non-administrative workers to be monitored every six months using the same tests for Beltline Community, plus an “Audiology Test” (page 52 of the MMP)

The following residents are most at risk (page 36 of the MMP):
· Females of child bearing age
· Infants and children in development stages
· Persons diagnosed with pulmonary disease – these are asthma, chronic bronchitis, tuberculosis, and hay fever
· Persons with specific cancers such as lung and bladder cancer
· The elderly with cognitive disorder
· Persons that smoke