But the company ran up against serious opposition from residents, who were alarmed by pollution the mine had already caused. Jan Morrill, an activist with International Allies Against Metallic Mining in El Salvador, says pollution of the San Sebastian River has been extreme, with cyanide levels nine times higher than allowed and iron levels 1,000 times what is healthy. Kidney failure, cancer and a rare autoimmune disease called Guillain-Barré syndrome are all on the rise, she says.
"The result is that people can't use that water," says Morrill, who will be among the team visiting Madison this weekend. "They're now buying their water and trucking it in."
Residents there pressured the Salvadoran government to revoke the mine's permits in 2006. But now Commerce Group is suing the country to allow it to operate, a case that is playing out in the World Bank.
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