SUNLAND PARK— Researchers with the state Health Department are going into southern Doña Ana County to study whether a nearby copper smelter has given residents above-average levels of various metals.
The Asarco smelter in northern El Paso has been shut down for several years.
But Alma Chaidez, who moved to Sunland Park three years ago, says she's heard enough to worry about her health and the health of her two children.
In an upcoming study, researchers from the state will determine whether residents of the area have higher-than-average levels of lead and other metals in their bodies.
Researchers plan to go into neighborhoods near the smelter next month, asking residents to voluntarily participate in the study, said Tom Ruiz, epidemiologist with the Department of Health.
The department will collect urine samples from at least 50 people and will ask residents to fill out a survey, he said.
"We hope to find whether or not high levels of metals, if any, are present in biological samples," Ruiz said. "We're wanting to see if indeed there has been any exposure."
Chaidez said she's willing to participate in the study if it doesn't interfere with her work schedule.
Ruiz said the state received a $100,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that will allow residents of several New Mexico communities to be tested for metals.
Residents in the border town of Columbus also will be tested, he said, because their ground-water supply has been shown to have high levels of naturally occurring arsenic.
The researchers will also test for the presence of mercury, copper, uranium and zinc.
In high quantities, these metals can have negative effects on the body, ranging from liver damage to neurological problems, said Kay Bird, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health.
Participants in the study will receive a copy of the test results, which will be compared to metal amounts found in the average person.
Ruiz said the department will mail a bilingual flier to residents in the areas, informing them about the upcoming study.
The Asarco copper smelter was closed in 1999 because of a collapse in the copper market. The company has maintained its smelter and operating permit and recently attempted to obtain an air-quality permit. The request has raised opposition from residents of El Paso, southern New Mexico and the border city of Juárez.