The beaches and communities near the recent oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico have become sacrificial zones because there is no remediation of environmental damage , the organization “Women for Environmental and Food Sustainability” said on Wednesday, August 30th, 2023.
“These testimonies are evidence that the authorities and the main person responsible, which is Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), must take into account. People are suffering all the impacts of this constant neglect of Pemex”, assured the representative of the association, Diana Morales, in a press conference.
The activist asserted that the consequences of the June and July spills, when in addition to a fire that consumed one of the oil platforms and left two dead and several injured, have not received attention from the authorities of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) or any Government agency, which leaves the inhabitants defenseless.
Nancy Martínez, representative of a community in the municipality of Espinal, Veracruz, asserted that the inhabitants present constant headaches, skin problems and strong gas odors after the spills.
He added that it is common for children to arrive at the hospital with vomiting and diarrhea due to poisoning due to the contamination of water from wells or springs due to the “increasingly constant” oil spill.
“Our aquifers are contaminated, suddenly one morning they wake up with this smell of oil and an oily sensation. In recent cases there have not even been any spills, wells with these chemicals simply appear and put our entire lives at risk,” he explained.
Miriam Larrea, representative of communities in Campeche, assured that the spills are affecting populations of turtles such as the leatherback, loggerhead or hawksbill, among others, which are in danger of extinction and which come to nest in 16 camps on the beaches of said state in the Mexican southeast.
Those who attend these camps have verified that these reptiles suffer from skin irritation, adhesion of contaminants, loss of thermal insulation from their shell, in addition to the ingestion of chemicals that generates a long-term impact on their health and digestive system.
The affectations extend to the colonies of fish, molluscs and other marine species that disrupts the possibility that fishermen can take advantage of the sea resources, which causes them economic problems
The activists warned that there is no remediation and cleanup program by the federal government or Pemex, and when there is a possibility of payments to the affected producers, the resources are managed at the discretion of the municipal authorities.
TYT Newsroom
