Jalisco, Mexico — A meeting was held with community members suffering health issues due to heavy metal poisoning from a polluted river. Affected residents from the communities of Poncitlán, El Salto and Juanacatlán in the state of Jalisco met Monday to discuss the ongoing rescue plan for the Santiago River as well as their health care.
While the river rescue plan has been ongoing since 2018, it was not until last year that residents living in those communities learned of their health issues due to heavy metal poisoning from the river.
The meeting Monday was convened by Claudia Gómez Godoy, Presidential Commissioner for the Restoration and Sanitation of the Lerma-Santiago Basin, in response to requests from citizens whose health has been affected by the pollution of the Santiago River.
The Monday meeting brought together more than 150 people with the goal of establishing monitoring mechanisms, adjusting actions and incorporating proposals that strengthen attention to health problems derived from exposure to pollutants in the three most affected communities.
Numerous government agencies including the Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Attorney General’s Office for Environmental Protection, the Federal Commission for Protection against Sanitary Risks and the Jalisco Ministry of Health, among others, are involved.
The institutions recognized the importance of the forum for consolidating joint coordination among all levels of government and advancing a comprehensive action plan.
During the Monday talks, authorities presented diagnoses, progress, challenges and epidemiological analyses related to chronic, degenerative and acute diseases associated with the pollution of the Santiago River.
The communities presented the results of the study conducted by the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí (2023–2024), which included 178 clinical and toxicological analyses of blood and urine in addition to the collection of the Family Health Card among residents of El Salto and Juanacatlán.
The findings confirm in adults, girls and boys the presence of metals and toxic compounds such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury, aluminum, chromium, manganese, nickel and hydroxypyrene, associated with neuropathies, neurological, renal and reproductive damage, bone and lung damage, bronchitis, infertility, damage to the nervous system and respiratory, hepatic and oncological risks.
In response, the Jalisco Ministry of Health, headed by Dr. Héctor Raúl Pérez Gómez, agreed to supplement the epidemiological study by incorporating community feedback and strengthening specialized medical care.
It will also convene the State Health Council and integrate the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) into the care of its beneficiaries.
For those without social security coverage, care will be arranged at the Civil Hospital of Guadalajara, the Western General Hospital, and the Eastern Hospital. Participants in the study will also be contacted for medical evaluation.
As part of the commitments reached, it was determined that bimonthly meetings would be permanently held between the all levels of government and the Commission for the Sanitation and Restoration of the Lerma-Santiago River in order to advance a joint plan for prevention and comprehensive health care for the population affected by the pollution of the Santiago River.
The Santiago River flows westwards from Lake Chapala via Ocotlán through the states of Jalisco and Nayarit where it empties into the Pacific Ocean. It is more than 430 kilometers long and has suffered decades of severe pollution, making it one of the most contaminated rivers in Mexico.
In late 2018, a Comprehensive Strategy for the Recovery of the Santiago River (Revivamos el Río Santiago) was created, led by the Jalisco government. The project focuses on the ecological restoration of the river and improving conditions for nearby communities.
