Mexico announces measures to tackle industrial pollution after Guardian investigations

The Mexican government said last week it will pursue a sweeping set of actions to combat industrial pollution following investigations by the Guardian and Quinto Elemento Lab, including $4.8m in fines against Zinc Nacional and the rollout of a new industrial air‑monitoring system the government called “the first of its kind in Latin America”.

The investigations reported high levels of heavy‑metal contamination around Zinc Nacional in the Monterrey metropolitan area and showed broader industrial pollution linked to Monterrey’s role in manufacturing and recycling goods for the US market. The stories said some facilities are releasing more toxic heavy metals into the city’s air than the totals reported in many US states, and more carbon dioxide than nearly half the world’s nations.

Officials said they will establish a new atmospheric monitoring network for industry that will measure emissions, including heavy metals, and the nation’s main environmental regulator is updating air and soil contamination standards. Semarnat said it is working to update three industrial air‑pollution standards, including lowering the amount of particulate matter plants are allowed to emit to the air by 50%.

Mariana Boy Tamborrell, Mexico’s federal attorney for environmental protection, called the actions “a new wave of enforcement” and said work with Zinc Nacional is “a watershed moment in how we monitor and inspect regulatory compliance by industries”.

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