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Mercury poisoning

MANILA: A Philippine mayor has urged President Fidel Ramos to declare a state of calamity in three southern villages hit by mercury poisoining, Manila newspapers said on Sunday.

One out of four people in the three villages, or 1,800 of the area's combined population of 7,000, could be affected, the newspapers quoted Mayor Edgardo Hagedorn of Puerto Princesa city on Palawan Island as saying.

The estimate was based on a study by government experts that showed that 11 of 42 randomly selected residents of the area, or 26 per cent, had mercury levels in their blood well above normal, the reports said.

They said a local mining firm once extracted mercury deposits in the area.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper quoted residents as saying mine tailings were not properly disposed of after the firm closed several years ago.

Mercury poisoning could be caused by inhaling smoke containing the toxic substance or eating or drinking contaminated food or water, the reports said.-Reuter