State indicators

Number of contaminated sites

Much of Mexico's industrial growth occurred before the nineties, when hazardous waste handling and disposal were not regulated. As a result, a large number of hazardous waste generators contaminated the soils adjacent to or surrounding their facilities with different types of hazardous waste (INE, Semarnap, DGMRAR and 1997; Semarnat-Profepa, 2000). The environmental issues in Mexico related to hazardous waste do not only derive from large and mid-sized companies, but also from small or micro industries mainly due to their lack of adequate facilities and poor financial resources as well as to the lack of environmental regulations that encompass them (Semarnat-Profepa, 2008). Currently, this problem can ensue significant health consequences, since it has been shown that the risk of adverse health effects increases with proximity to hazardous waste disposal sites (INE, DGMRAR and Semarnap, 1997; Vrijheid, 2000; WHO 2001; ATSDR, 2004). In this sense, although the society’s concerns have focused primarily on the association of hazardous waste with cancer and birth defects, there are other health problems involved, such as mutagenicity, kidney and liver damage, neurological disorders and respiratory conditions (Díaz-Barriga, 1996). The indicator Number of contaminated sites registered is the total number of contaminated sites identified in Mexico. OECD recommends the use of indicators related to land use and quality, as well as contamination by toxic elements (OECD, 1998), while the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) proposes the total area contaminated with hazardous waste (UNCSD, 1996).