Centro de Diagnostico y Alternativas para Afectados por Tóxicos (CEDAAT) conducted research and public awareness activities to help communities in their demands against pollution coming from the ECOLTEC plant (a waste facility that produced fuel for cement kilns) in Mexico. ECOLTEC declared in an Environmental Impact Assessment that they would produce Volatile Organic Compounds, and the standard for cement kilns includes a series of dangerous heavy metals. The research included three studies on children: a) A general medical evaluation, b) a psychological study to measure memory and attention, and c) a neurophysiologic study P300. The results were compared with results from other children in another geographical region, and compiled in a report. Public awareness activities included the dissemination of the results to the community, which supported their requests for further studies and medical attention, and public forums, press and radio interviews. Amongst other goals, the project’s long-term objective is to empower organized communities on matters of health and environmental impacts of toxics and polluting industries.
