Trucks carrying 100 tonnes of mercury are already in Chile – 27/04/2019

The five trucks that transport from Wednesday 100 tons of mercury Accompanied by a strong security operation due to the dangerous cargo, they crossed the Jama border post in Jujuy on Saturday and will continue their journey to the Chilean port of Valparaíso.

For three days, 48 ​​bottles of liquid mercury in four large trucks; a truck, four trucks and vehicles and private security personnel complete the caravan that carries the metal of the Veladero Mine, San Juan, at the Chilean port.

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As you could confirm Clarin with sources from the Secretariat for the Environment, the convoy completed customs procedures and crossed the border on Saturday morning, without major disadvantages.

Mercury should be transported by ship to Switzerland – via the ports of Peru, Panama, the Bahamas, the United States, the Netherlands, Belgium and France – where a process of solidification will be conducted to from the final destination in one of the five salt mines belonging to Germany.

"This is the first case of export of hazardous waste as part of the Minamata agreement worldwide; we know we are being observed, but we are ruling out the success of the process, "said Juan Trebino, undersecretary for oversight and reorganization of the nation's environment and sustainable development secretariat.

He added: "We started to find a solution to what is a global problem, since generally the countries that produce mercury collect it because it is an item that can not be deleted"

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According to the manager, who pointed out the work that "all the team" of the Ministry of the Environment carries out "there is more than a year" to achieve this transport, "it is a great success of management and the spearhead of many exports that we are going to have to do in relation to mercury ".

Trebino said the operation "is going according to plan" with "much higher security requirements than required by law"(number 24.051) of hazardous waste which establishes guidelines for the transport of such substances.

The official pointed out that, in addition to those involved in the caravan of vehicles, the agents of Prefectura Nacional and the civil defense personnel of the various districts crossed as well as the mining police participated in the operation.

He also badured that the release of this highly polluting and toxic waste it is produced by a Chilean port and not by that of Buenos Aires by several factors: "The two most important are that the shipping company authorized for this transport operates from Valparaíso, and that the pbadage of such a caravan by more traveled roads and more populated places would delay the crossing"

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Mercury is harmful to humans by inhalation, ingestion and contact. Given that Adheres to the goldit is used for extraction because it forms an amalgam which is then separated by an evaporation process.

The Minamata agreement is a global treaty for the protection of human health and the environment harmful effects of mercury and establishes specific guidelines for the temporary storage of this metal and its disposal once it becomes a waste.

Source: Telam