Dr. Arnold Wendroff of Brooklyn has spent the last 15 years trying to get health officials to do something about toxic practices in certain local Hispanic religions, including those practiced in West New York and Union City – like Santeria and Palo Mayombe.
The two religions, which were brought to local communities from Latin America, employ the toxic metal mercury in some of their rituals, which can lead to contamination of the surroundings.
In the late 1990s, Wendroff testified at the Department of Environmental Protection about his concerns, and they formed the Mercury Task Force out of the Department of Health, and performed a study of the immediate area entitled “Cultural Uses of Mercury in New Jersey.” It was completed by December of 2002.
The study interviewed 22 practitioners of Santeria and related practices, of which 17 used mercury in some form, and conducted surveys of air mercury levels in buildings in Hudson County.
According to the report, “Measurements of mercury concentration in air were obtained in the hallways of 34, and in the entrance vestibules of an additional 33, multi-family apartment buildings in Union City and West New York, N.J., using a highly sensitive Lumex portable mercury analyzer. Comparison buildings in Montclair, N.J. were also analyzed.”
The average amount found was about two micro grams coming from under the apartment doorways. “Evacuation is official after the discovery of 10 grams,” said Wendroff. “Certainly plenty of grounds for knocking on the door.”
The report stated, “In two of the buildings, the maximum building hallway concentration exceeded the U.S. EPA’s Reference Concentration guideline of 330 ng/m3, although levels were significantly decreased in subsequent visits.”
Where’s the follow-up?
Wendoff worries that people who don’t understand the dangers of mercury might use it in religious rituals and harm children and neighbors. And he is concerned that in Union City and West New York, the silvery substance may have affected hallways and even the water near the homes of heavy users.
But despite Wendoff’s pleas to local and state officials, there has been no action taken recently.
Santeria and Palo Mayombe (usually referred to simply as “Palo”) trace their roots to West African religions, which were brought over to the “New World” – more specifically the Caribbean Islands – by slaves. After that, they were brought northward from Cuba to the United States.
While some rituals were lost due to cultural mixing with Judeo-Christian neighbors, among some the practices that have been preserved was the tradition of possession trance, which was meant for communicating with ancestors and deities.
That practice had a huge following in the Caribbean isle of Cuba, and evolved into today’s “Santeria,” or “The Way of the Saints.” Animal sacrifice and dancing are also common to Santeria.
“Elemental mercury is put to magico-religious uses, most problematically the sprinkling of mercury on floors of homes in Caribbean and Latino communities,” wrote Wendroff, a retired lecturer at Brooklyn College, in his 2005 environmental review for the National Association of Environmental Professionals. “Indoor mercury spills are persistent and release toxic levels of mercury vapor over long periods of time. Surveys in these communities have demonstrated widespread and large-scale mercury sales for ritualistic use, elevated mercury vapor levels in public hallways, increased amounts of mercury in wastewater, and elevated urine mercury levels in Latino children.”
Recently, Wendroff tried to bring the matter to the attention of Gov. Jon Corzine. He has been corresponding with Keri Logosso, health policy advisor to Corzine.
Wendroff wrote to Logosso in September urging the state Department of Environmental Protection to expand its indoor air mercury vapor measurement program, as well as begin a wastewater mercury study.
Logosso replied in an e-mail dated Sept. 25, 2006, “As promised, I am sharing the information you forwarded to me with my colleague, Debbie Mans, who focuses on environmental policy for the governor. She and I will discuss next steps and will reach out to you should we need clarification or additional information.”
Wendroff has not proven that most local followers of the religions are still using mercury. However, one local “high priest” of Palo confirmed to the Reporter that the dangerous element is still in use locally today.
A high preist of Palo speaks out
“Tata” is a Hudson County resident who did not want his hometown used.
Tata said recently that mercury, known in the culture as “asoge,” is not the only dangerous substance utilized in blessings and rituals among the practices.
“For example, sufre (acid) can be used to clean the home,” he said, “and if I wanted to do brujeria (witchcraft) on you, I would use the asoge to move it along.”
Tata, who has practiced the religion for 20 years, explained, “[mercury] could be used for a whole manner of things; even to destroy a marriage. These things come from a tradition that has been done for years.”
Santeria and Palo also employ harmless rituals, like those using candles or chicken bones.
But some of their practices involve poisonous substances.
“Santeros put the drops of asoge (mercury) on the head of the saint [statue] they wish to work for them,” said Tata. “We use asoge as well. We drink it because it’s a form of protection for us. Its like a cleansing in the stomach.”
Tata said that practitioners can buy a capsule of asoge and break it open to use it, and mix it with other ingredients depending on the ritual. Then, they ingest it.
Many followers will put asoge in the base of their saint statues, along with other elements depending on what they’re asking for, “so that it will move along and start to go,” Tata said.
The fact that asoge is meant to speed things up takes into account the nature of mercury itself. When mercury spills, the silver liquid droplets split apart and slide quickly in various directions.
How it all began
The practices of Santeria caught Wendoff’s eye when he was introduced to the practice by some of his students of Hispanic/Caribbean descent more than 15 years ago.
Wendroff became increasingly concerned about overexposure in his native Brooklyn community, as well as New Jersey’s North Hudson area, which is home to one the largest Hispanic communities in the nation. Over the last 40 years, Latinos from Central to South America have made their permanent home here. During the Cuban exodus of the 1960s, Union City became the second largest Cuban community in the nation after Miami, Fla.
According to the 2000 Census, of 45,768 residents of West New York, 36,038 of them are Hispanics of all origins. In Union City’s population of 67,088, there are 55,227 Hispanics.
Union City and West New York together have an average Cuban population of 8,991 and Puerto Rican population of 2,791.
In the late 1990s, Wendroff testified at the Department of Environmental Protection, which led to the aforementioned 2002 report. One of the individuals quoted in the report was Gary Garetano, assistant director of the Hudson Regional Health Commission.
Wendroff was concerned about the lack of follow-up.
“It has been five years since that study and they haven’t followed up on it,” said Wendroff. “What are we going to do? No one wants to open up Pandora’s box.”
Wendroff said that it would be expensive for the government to clean up all the mercury, if discovered.
“They would have to inspect the housing for this,” said Wendroff. “It would be enormously expensive. To clean it up is astronomical and time consuming.”
He said that the curious thing about the study was that they never found a concentrated area of spill, but it seemed to be evenly distributed among the homes.
“There was nothing on the floor or the hallways, but it seemed uniformly distributed coming from underneath the doors,” said Wendroff.
Dangers of mercury
Since there have been no other major official studies or investigations into the matter, no clear connection has been made between the mercury used in religion and the elevated levels of contamination that have been found among households and families.
Unfortunately, many of those who are potentially contaminated in these communities may not even be aware of possible daily exposure.
The problem lies within the mercury itself, which can take 10 to 15 years to fully dissolve.
Mercury exposure can damage a person’s nervous system. The fumes easily enter and poison the body. Just short-term or limited contact with mercury can cause acute symptoms such as bleeding gums, vomiting, and stomach pain. In extreme cases, mercury poisoning can cause irreversible brain, liver, and kidney damage due to the difficulty for the body to eliminate the substance.
In centuries past, mercury was used by hat-makers in turning fur into felt, thus affecting the nervous systems of hatters. Some were thought to be “mad,” thus the character of the “Mad Hatter” in the book Alice in Wonderland.
Hey, where can I buy some mercury?
Tata said that it’s a bare minimum that is always used, and it is sold in capsule form.
He said that he used to find it in botanica shops in Union City, where he said that he had to specifically request it. (Botanicas are shops that sell herbs, charms, and religious or spiritual items like statuettes.)
However, Tata said that it’s harder to find in North Hudson now – but he can still get it in New York City.
In fact, the Reporter visited three different botanicas in the North Hudson to see if they carried the mercury capsules.
All three denied having it, but recommended heading to Manhattan and Brooklyn.
“None of the botanicas sell it, and I know, because I supply most of the botanicas in this area,” said one store owner in West New York. “It’s illegal to sell that. But you could possibly find it in Manhattan on Broadway, and the ones that do carry it only sell it to you if they know you.”
According to Wendroff, a study done by the Latin American Foundation for Environmental Protection, a group that mostly consists of Dominican college and graduate students, revealed that they visited 180 botanicas in the New York City and New Jersey metro area. Approximately 169 to 170 of them were carrying mercury after they said they weren’t.
“These days, those capsules can cost about $5, which is more expensive now,” Tata said. “A few years back, a capsule would cost anywhere from $0.50 to $1. As far as I know, the use of it is very rare these days.”
‘I have swallowed it three times’
Tata said he does not see a big problem with mercury.
“I have swallowed it three times and nothing has happened to me,” said Tata. “You use a small amount.”
The government has been more concerned about people ingesting mercury that is found in fish. In 2004, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued consumption guidelines stating that pregnant women, children, nursing mothers, and women who may become pregnant should not eat certain fish such as shark, sword fish, king mackerel, or tilefish.
The agencies also recommended that this group reduce its consumption of tuna, especially albacore tuna.
Trying to get someone to listen
Wendroff was part of a recent 2004 preliminary study conducted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) entitled “Ritualistic Use of Mercury Simulation: A Preliminary Investigation of Metallic Mercury Vapor Fate and Transport in a Trailor,” which included simulations of ritualistic use in the home.
The conclusion from the EPA was, “This study shows intentional ritual sprinkling of metallic mercury or accidental spillage of mercury may initially produce indoor air mercury concentrations above the ATSDR suggested residential occupancy level, and in some cases above the action level. When the source is undisturbed, the concentration decreases over time and generally falls below the residential occupancy level. [But] periodic spillage or ritual application of a small amount of mercury for a sustained period of time … may lead to chronic mercury vapor exposure with possible detrimental health effects.”
Despite such information and warnings, followers of Santeria and Palo continue the use of the chemical substance because it is part of tradition, and don’t believe it has ever made them ill.
However, non-followers can also be affected if they move into the space that was once occupied by a Santero or a Palero (a practitioner of either religion).
“Here we have people that are habitually using this stuff, and contaminating the homes,” said Wendroff. “In general in minority ethnic neighborhoods, there is an excess of kids in special education programs [although there is no scientific link].”
At the moment, Wendroff just wants investigators to do studies.
He said that there have been a few positive measures taken. At one point, the Hispanic Health Council in Hartford, Conn., started passing out pamphlets about the use of ritualistic mercury, he said.
Wendroff had also continuously corresponded with a legislative assistant to Sen. Robert Menendez, a Union City native, while Menendez was still in the House of Representatives. And he has written to state environmental officials, always including copies of the 2002 and 2005 reports.
In return, Wendroff received a correspondence from Jeanne M. Herb, director of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, dated June 22, 2006.
Herb wrote, “We have been aware there are several related cultural practices that include the use of elemental mercury that occur in particular areas of New Jersey, but the research we have shows no direct evidence of mercury contamination in homes in these areas.”
Herb pointed out that the results of the NJDEP study conducted in 2002 have also been posted on the NJDEP Division of Science, Research, and Technology (DSRT) website since May of 2003.
“This research suggested residential buildings in the suspect areas tended to have elevated levels of mercury vapor compared to outdoor air,” she conceded. “However, these findings could not distinguish between mercury vapor resulting from unintentional spills, from thermometers for example, which would likely be found throughout the state, and elevated levels resulting from intentional cultural uses of mercury.”
Yet, Herb agreed that some additional research is needed, as well as an intervention strategy.
She wrote: “The NJDEP did, indeed, undertake a follow-up study to address the need for additional research. This study commenced in September of 2004. The final report of that study was only recently received and approved by the NJDEP.”
Herb said that when the results are made public, they will be posted on the website at http://www.state.nj.us/dep.
For more on Dr. Wendroff’s research, visit www.mercurypoisoningproject.org.