Toxicologist Jolanda Rijnkels embarked on an adventure many people only dream of. She took eight months’ leave and went to Bolivia, where she was able put her knowledge of toxic chemicals to good use among the many labourers who work under extreme conditions in the country’s mines.

One of the areas Jolanda visited was the Bolivian plateau, where zinc, silver and tin are mined using very primitive techniques. Almost half of the mineworkers in Bolivia contract silicosis, a lung disease that causes death by suffocation.

When hacking away at the rock, the mineworkers are also exposed to toxic chemicals such as arsenic and lead, which end up in their blood. According to some estimates, the life expectancy of a Bolivian mineworker is an average of 20 years shorter than other Bolivians.

The water in local villages is also severely contaminated by the mining operation. In order to separate the valuable minerals from the waste, they are washed in the river, a process that often involves the use of chemicals. As a result the river turns yellow and brown and the water becomes more and more polluted.

Plenty for the toxicologist to get her teeth into. Jolanda effortlessly lists the recommendations put forward to make the situation in the mines safer and life in the village cleaner. But the board of the mining corporation is not prepared to listen. Jolanda is only given the opportunity to hand the board her report on the day before she leaves. The president of the mine does have one request: “On the basis of this report, can Jolanda make sure that the Netherlands will donate money so that her recommendations can be carried out? Unfortunately they don’t have any money for this themselves.”

According to the board, everybody has to take their own responsibility, also for their own health. It seems likely that the report Jolanda has put so much effort into will end up at the bottom of a drawer. Nevertheless, the Dutch toxicologist is less disappointed than you would expect. She has also written a report for the government in La Paz and hopes there will be some Bolivians who are able and willing to initiate change.

Now back at work in the Netherlands, Jolanda looks back on her experience in Bolivia with mixed feelings but no regrets. "I am disappointed, but not demoralised," she reflects.

Click here for a slideshow of the Cerro Rico mine in Potosi.

(Photo: Wikimedia)