An Economic Evaluation of the Health and Agricultural Damages Caused by Copper Mining in Chile.

COPPER mining; LIABILITY for environmental damages; ARSENIC; AGRICULTURE; WATER pollution

This study assesses the environmental damage caused by copper mining on surface water bodies in Chile. The few official records on the discharges and concentrations of arsenic and copper only allow for identifying the impacts of some mining operations in the regions of Coquimbo, Valparaíso, and O’Higgins. The economic valuation is carried out through the impact pathway approach, which relates copper production, discharges, concentrations, and dose-response coefficients to establish effects on health and agriculture. The results show that the economic damage due to water pollution occurs mainly in the regions of Coquimbo and O’Higgins. The above is explained because the greatest externalities are generated in agricultural areas, while the damage to health is low because of the small population exposed (97.6% versus 2.4%). Finally, total damages represent 0.43%, 0.26%, and 0.0001% of copper sales in the mining operations analyzed in the regions of Coquimbo, O’Higgins, and Valparaíso, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Este estudio tiene como objetivo evaluar el daño ambiental provocado por la minería del cobre sobre cuerpos de agua superficiales en Chile. Los pocos registros oficiales sobre las descargas y concentraciones de arsénico y cobre solo permiten identificar los impactos de algunas operaciones mineras en las regiones de Coquimbo, Valparaíso y O’Higgins. La valoración económica se realiza a través del método de la función de daño, la cual relaciona la producción de cobre, descargas, concentraciones y coeficientes de dosis-respuesta para establecer los efectos sobre la salud y agricultura. Los resultados muestran que el daño económico por la contaminación del agua ocurre principalmente en las regiones de Coquimbo y O’Higgins. Lo anterior, se explica porque las mayores externalidades se producen en las zonas agrícolas, mientras que el daño a la salud es bajo por la escasa población expuesta (97,6% versus 2,4%). Finalmente, los daños totales representan respectivamente el 0,43%, 0,26% y 0,0001% de las ventas de cobre en las operaciones mineras analizadas en las regiones de Coquimbo, O’Higgins y Valparaíso. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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