Iron Valley: Sanctuary of Rust

A few months ago my friend and I passed through the coastal road from La Paz going to Leganes. It was getting late at night and the roads seems blurred since there were no streetlights. As I leaned out and open the window, I was really surprised on what I have seen; I thought it was just a dump of scrap iron abandoned beside the street. But on that very night I got curious about that area and my mind don’t stop bothering me. So, the next day I tried to find time to pass that way again in Ticud and to confirm what I’ve seen last night. With great awe, I was totally mesmerized as the tricycle stopped in front of it. I am wrong, it is not just a dump, I looked around the area and sigh…it is but a subdivision of disposed rusty scrap metals.

This dumpsite was owned by the Cebu Metals Corporation ( CMC ). As what you think, yes it is! These scrap metals comes from Cebu City and was shipped here in Iloilo. Of course, with a permission of our local government. The site is approximately a hectare located in the vacant lot on where few meters away the residents dwell. With a height of more than 20 feet, don’t you think is it comparable to the valleys of Maasin? Or maybe they are trying to compete the Smokey Mountain of Iloilo in Mandurriao. More than 100 tons of various metals are presently shipped but the most visible and numerous of all are the rusty scrap irons.
The very first thing that came into my mind are the risk of the families living near the site. I got curious about corrosion and the effects of it in the health of every person on that area. The silent toxics that may kill them slowly in the continuous exposure to Ferric Oxide.
Ferrous ( Cu ) or iron is the 4th most abundant element on earth that can be found mostly in the crust. Its presence in soil is essential to plants and other living organisms. But, the metal ore of iron which is processed and used as construction materials, appliances, etc. when abandoned and exposed to air, rain, or simply moisture or fog produces rust by the process called corrosion.
The hazards of iron compound depends on varying toxicity. Exposure to iron oxide is potentially a serious risk in all industrial settings. Some iron compounds are suspected carcinogens. In general, either ferrous or ferric compounds are essentially toxics. Acute exposure to excessive levels of ferrous compounds can cause liver and kidney damage, altered respiratory rates and convulsion. If these dust powders are inhaled it may cause irritation of the upper respiratory tract and possible acute iron poisoning. It has no target organs but it may affect the flow of blood as it distributes oxygen to the different parts of the body.
Naturally, the residents beneath the dumpsite are those continuously inhale the rust powders when blown by air. And come to think of it they are taking in Ferric Oxide since the beginning of dumping those rusty scrap irons.

If these iron oxide is taken incessantly though inhalation, it may produce red and dry throat. Acute iron poisoning may cause biphasic shock, rapid increase in respiration and pulse rate, congestion of blood vessels which may cause: hemorrhagic nicrosis of the gastrointestinal tract, hepatotoxicity, metabolic acidosis, prolonged blood clotting, elevation of plasm level of serotonin and histamine. If it is exposed in the skin and eyes it may cause redness, itching, and burning. These are just the facts, the truth behind those scenic view of dump scrap irons.
A few weeks later, I catch up a news that the residents on that barangay start complaining to the owner that their rooftops are getting corroded even if their houses are made up of woods and nipa, still it does have rust. These powders from the when blown through the air enters their houses. The result, some residents most especially their children got asthma attacks, pneumonia, and breathing difficulty.
There were some pertinent documents that says that the operation on that site is not illegal. They have the DENR permit and the City Government permit, but, consider the endangered lives of all the residents that surrounds the site who inhale those rust powders all day long.

As of this time, the iron continues its corrosion process.