Title: Mining and Health Status in Peru
Author/Institution: Lucía Isabel Landa Sotomayor – Master’s Thesis, Erasmus University Rotterdam
Publication Year: 2020
Public Health, Risk, and Environmental Accountability
Landa Sotomayor’s research examines how Peru’s booming mining sector shapes public health outcomes in surrounding communities. The thesis argues that environmental degradation and exposure to pollutants—particularly heavy metals—constitute a neglected dimension of the mining debate. By linking health statistics to patterns of extractive expansion, the study positions public health as a measurable indicator of both state performance and corporate legitimacy. It demonstrates that even in high-growth regions, extractive success often coexists with worsening well-being, eroding social trust and weakening the social license to operate.
Methodological Approach and Empirical Analysis
Using a mixed-methods design, the thesis combines econometric analysis of national health datasets with qualitative interviews from affected localities in Cajamarca and La Libertad. Statistical models show correlations between mining proximity and respiratory, dermatological, and water-borne disease incidence. Field interviews reveal widespread perceptions of unmonitored pollution and insufficient medical response. By integrating both data streams, Landa Sotomayor exposes how environmental-health deficits become a focal point of community grievance, transforming technical risk into political discontent.
Implications for Policy and Corporate Practice
The research underscores that health transparency is central to extractive legitimacy. Mining companies that implement community-based health surveillance, publish independent monitoring results, and engage local clinics in mitigation plans tend to maintain stronger stakeholder relationships. Conversely, opacity over environmental impact intensifies mistrust. Landa Sotomayor’s findings argue for embedding health metrics into Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) and national mining policy, reframing well-being not as a social-responsibility add-on but as a core determinant of operational continuity and public confidence.