Genaro Martínez, who represents the communities near the complex, remembers that it was a difficult situation, especially in economic terms. “We kept eating the tilapia because we knew it wasn’t contaminated, but we needed a study to prove it,” he adds.
The fishing situation in the Balsas River needed urgent change, as rumors about the state of the fish spread rapidly. The inhabitants needed a study or document confirming that the fish was safe for human consumption.
Emmanuel Verboonen, zootechnical veterinarian and fishing and aquaculture consultant at Minera Media Luna, explains that, together with the producers, they decided to carry out these studies. However, a neutral third party was needed, and a collaboration was established with the Autonomous University of Guerrero (UAGro).
Since late 2017, the university, in collaboration with the mine and the fishermen, has been monitoring the water and fish to measure metal levels and ensure they are safe for human consumption.
Antonio Cervantes, coordinator of the Center for Innovation and Technology Transfer of the UAGro and responsible for the studies of tilapia in the Balsas River, explains that the monitoring is carried out once a season, since the components of the water and the fish vary according to the season. are measured levels of arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead. Once the samples are taken, they are sent to the university and then to Canada for analysis.
The maximum limit established by the Mexican regulation for arsenic is 1,000 micrograms per kilogram, and, according to Verboonen, tilapia from the Balsas River does not exceed 0.5% of this limit. The sampling and studies are exposed to the producers once a year.
“That gives us peace of mind as an institution and researchers, especially with regard to the health of the inhabitants”, asserts Cervantes in an interview with Expansion.