20 Bulacan gold smelters shut down

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — The Environmental Management Bureau has shut down 20 gold-smelting firms in Meycauayan, Bulacan which discharged fumes that might cause respiratory damage in humans and animals. "Meycauayan has reached its saturation point because of the unregulated operations of the smelting firms which have been found to have no permits," said Lorelyn Claudio, EMB regional director. But Claudio said the problem is not limited to Meycauayan because many Bulacan households are engaged in gold smelting, using borax and nitric acid to separate precious metals and exposing persons to reddish-yellow fumes that may cause respiratory disorders. — Ding Cervantes, Ric Sapnu