Adobe Homes in Peru's Andes Tell Centuries-Old Toxic Tale

The mud used to make adobe homes soaked up centuries of mercury emissions and scientists are trying to determine if the walls pose a health hazard















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Robins, whose book, Mercury, Mining and Empire: The Human and Ecological Cost of Colonial Silver Mining in the Andes, was published in 2011, hopes to expand health studies and community outreach while working on ways to protect people.

He is fond of quoting a Spanish governor of Peru who once said, “In Huancavelica, there is much to be remedied.” The governor was referring to government corruption, but Robins said he just as easily could have been talking about its environment.  

This article originally ran at Environmental Health News, a news source published by Environmental Health Sciences, a nonprofit media company.



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  1. 1. greenhome123 03:01 AM 2/26/13

    i just recently bought an alpaca wool earflap beanie, which came from Peru. I hope it isn't contaminated with mercury.

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Adobe Homes in Peru's Andes Tell Centuries-Old Toxic Tale

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