Doe Run bought the smelting and refining complex, called the La Oroya Metallurgical Complex, from the Peruvian government in 1997. The plant mined for copper, lead, zinc and other metals, the suit says.
The complaint alleges that Doe Run failed to reduce lead emissions at the mine as required under the terms of an environmental remediation and management plan Renco signed with the South American countryâs government, according to court documents.
One of the nuns behind the complaint, Sister Kate Reid, told The Post that many of the young children who lived near the plant still suffer from ailments that include sluggishness and rashes. Reid is acting as the Next Friend in the courts for some of the alleged victims who are still minors.
In 2007, she toured the Peruvian village near the smelting plant, where she met Priest Pedro Barreto, who had first flagged the toxic dangers at the mine.
âHe said it was such a violation of humanity when blood is poisoned by lead. What is supposed to be life-giving is actually deadly,â Reid recalled of her conversation with Barreto, who was appointed cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.
The St. Louis School of Public Health found through its study that 99% of children in La Oroya had blood levels of lead that can cause âpsychological injuries, learning and other permanent disabilities,â according to the lawsuit.
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