CODELCO's copper refinery: another issue to the list of environmental conflicts, industrial and health

Hello everyone

Just for a change, another industry problem is causing damage and affecting people’s health. This time the problem occurs at the 5th region of Chile, specifically at 'Ventana' beach. On this place, the CODELCO’s copper refinery is wreaking havoc with the noxious fumes that this construction is spreading every day. This situation not only ruined the landscape of the zone and destroyed the natural ecosystem nearby (which of course it’s an inadmissible fact), but also is damaging innocent people. Recently, students and teachers of ‘La Greda’ school were intoxicated by a toxic cloud issued from the copper refinery. This toxic cloud contained arsenic and other lethal substances for human.

Although the contamination problem is obvious to all, and health complications will still affect people who live near Ventana’s beach, the Chilean government is committed to maintaining this industrial operation. Legal and environmental subjects are involved, and in theory the industrial plant should close, but this hasn’t occurred yet, and sincerely, I don’t think that it will, unfortunately. It is always the same history, just like ‘Hydroaysen’ conflict. There are many empty spaces in legal environmental matters, and lawyers manage to carry out projects anyway, because of ambition and greed of some…

To prevent that this situation happen again, future toxic industries must be far away from the populated areas. Chile has the advantage that has a lot of desert places and this must be exploited. My propose is to close down the Ventana’s copper refinery and to built another one far away.  

The Nuclear Leak in Japan

In April 26 of 1986, the Ukrainian center of Chernobyl suffered many explosions that caused the biggest nuclear disaster on human history, because the levels of radioactivity triggered off. The toxic cloud released by the Ukrainian center affected more than five million people, and people with cancer and respiratory ailments increased a lot. This was never officially recognized by the authorities.

Nowadays, as a consequence of the earthquake on Japan occured in March 11 of 2011, the nuclear plant Fukushima started to release nuclear elements. Although this plant was considered secure, the earth movement provoked that cooling systems become unusable, so nuclear reactors started to exploit. Several dozen people were contaminated with radiation, while about 200 are being examined. The authorities decided to evacuate about 200.000 habitants that live nearby Fukushima, and also established a  warning area, or 'Zero Zone' of 30 kilometers of perimeter. Thousands of people are leaving Tokyo for fear of radiation.

The consequences for the nearby area are disastrous, but, as it happened in Chernobyl, nobody can give a definitive diagnostic yet. Today we all have uncertainty about the future of Fukushima or even Japan, and fairly, that uncertainty, that loss of control sensation, causes panic and desperation, and these feelings are extended in the whole world.

An interesting website.. for me

http://www.fedefruta.cl/el_fruticultor.php

Hi! How are you? I hope that fine!!

Today I’m going to tell you about a website that is very important for me. This website is directly related to my career and future working area: Fruit Management (at least, I hope so J).

This website publishes a quarterly magazine called “El Fruticultor: The Electronic Magazine of Fedefruta” (i.e. National Union Federation of Fruit Producers, a nonprofit organization that brings together Chilean fruit growers).

It provides information about fruit produce situation, lasts news, events and meetings that producers organizes all of them related to the area. I use to visit this website once every month. This way, I can get contingency information about the fruit situation in Chile. As you know (or should know), Chile is one of the principal fruit exporters of the world...

The topics of the magazine are not only focused on fruit; you can also find information about vegetables. What I mostly like about this site, is that the news that brings are short and precise, so you don’t get bored.

 I really love this website!!

Well, see you soon…

The King's Speech

Hi, recently I saw The King's Speech at cinema. The story occurs at England, on Second World War period. It is about a man, called Bertie, member of the British Royal Family, that was very noble and talentous. His brother was England's heir to the throne, but because different circumpstances, sent the crown to Bertie. The conflict was that Bertie was stutterer, so he couldn't talk to a great group of people. He needed urgently to talk properly, because the King of England must give moral discourses in that critical period.


It is a very special film, I recommend it beacuse it covers themes about human relationships and how a handicapped could change the destiny of people. I haven't saw other films by the same director (Tom Hooper), but I will!!

Welcome post!!!

Hi to eveyone

My name is Pamela Galleguillos Canales. I'm 24 years old. I'm studying Agricultural Engineerging at the University of Chile, and doing a Master of Agricultural Sciences at the same place. I hope to have my degree very soon. I'm sure that knowing English is very important at work, because it opens many opportunities to travel. That's why I took an English course, and created a Blog.

Bye! =)