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Doe Run Peru Signs Three-Year Agreement With Ministry of Health, Regional Government to Expand Public Health Program

Posted on: Monday, 19 June 2006, 18:00 CDT

The Doe Run Company's subsidiary, Doe Run Peru, formally signed today a three-year agreement with Peruvian officials to expand a public health program designed to protect the health of residents near the company's metallurgical complex in La Oroya, Peru.

The agreement, signed by representatives of the Regional Government of Junin and Peru's Ministry of Health (MINSA) extends the original program, established with MINSA in July 2003, and expands services to the 18,000 residents of New La Oroya, Santa Rosa de Sacco, Paccha and Huari. In addition, it provides for health monitoring for residents in all age groups.

"Doe Run Peru is committed to the health, safety and welfare of its employees and the local communities," said Dr. Juan Carlos Huyhua, president and general manager of Doe Run Peru. "Since 2003, we have made significant progress toward addressing health issues in the community of Old La Oroya, including issues affecting the health of young children and pregnant women. This new agreement will both expand the program to people of all ages and extend its reach to more communities. In addition, it covers a greater number of environmental contaminants, thereby providing a more complete approach to finding solutions to decades-old problems."

The agreement details each of the party's responsibilities for the next three years, with short-, medium- and long-term goals for improving the health of the population, gradually reducing environmental contaminants (including lead, arsenic, cadmium and sulfur dioxide), and educating residents on preventing exposure.

Minister of Health Pilar Mazzetti said that thanks to the renewed agreement children with high blood lead levels will continue to be treated. She pointed out that the work under the initial agreement had positive results, with a 13 percent reduction in blood lead levels, and that work is beginning on the reduction of other heavy metals. At the same time, she highlighted the financial support of the company and its commitment to social responsibility that made the agreement possible.

Doe Run Peru bought the aging La Oroya smelter in 1997 and committed to upgrading the facility to meet environmental regulations. Lead emissions have dropped by almost a third since the company's arrival. By the end of 2006, Doe Run Peru expects to bring lead emissions to within Peruvian environmental guidelines and to have invested more than $100 million on environmental programs.

Initial agreements between the government and Doe Run Peru focused on environmental improvements and modernization of the metallurgical complex, and did not prioritize health issues. Officials have welcomed the shift in emphasis. In its first three years the cooperative program already has proven effective in reducing blood lead levels, with Peruvian officials noting a downward trend in children with the highest levels. The program aims to promote good health, hygiene and nutrition, specifically through health and educational programs for families of Old La Oroya. Over the last year, children identified as having the highest blood lead levels have spent up to eight hours a day at a specially designed daycare facility in Casaracra, several kilometers from La Oroya.

Under the renewed agreement, Doe Run Peru will continue to provide more than $500,000 annually in financial and additional support for measures to more effectively control blood lead levels, such as medical facilities, blood testing materials and in-home education for families on nutrition and hygiene -- all of which are important in reducing blood lead levels.

The agreement also calls for the continuation of an environmental/health oversight system in the various communities that encompasses the community education programs; management of water, air and soil monitoring; and supervision of several health programs, including monitoring blood lead levels in young children and pregnant women. These actions are expected to gradually reduce blood lead levels over the next several years, with a goal level of 10 micrograms per deciliter (10 ug/dl) or less.

MINSA's responsibilities continue to include oversight of the execution of the overall medical program; coordinating meetings between the parties; providing professional personnel; monitoring blood lead levels and providing results to the people evaluated, as well as recommending measures to be taken. In addition, a physician will be designated by MINSA to serve as general coordinator for the program. The renewed agreement further provides that MINSA will organize and implement a monitoring and diagnosis program for people of all ages (children, adolescents, adults and seniors) in the additional communities and actively work to involve other institutions and organizations in the effort.

Doe Run Peru plans to support the program further by providing facilities, logistical support, medical supplies and equipment. In turn, the Regional Government of Junin will offer support at the program level to manage the day-to-day activities and report results to MINSA and the regional health authorities.

Based in St. Louis, The Doe Run Company is a privately held natural resources company dedicated to environmentally responsible mineral production, metals fabrication, recycling and reclamation. The company and its subsidiaries deliver products and services needed to provide power, protection and convenience through premium products and associated metals including lead, zinc, copper, gold and silver. As the operator of one of the world's only multi-metal facilities and the Americas' largest integrated lead producer, Doe Run employs more than 5,000 people, with U.S. operations in Missouri, Washington and Arizona, and Peruvian operations in Cobriza and La Oroya. Committed to sustainable development, The Doe Run Company has helped bring electrical power, business training, educational opportunities and improved telecommunications to rural communities in Peru and the U.S. For more information, visit http://www.doerun.com.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements may be significantly impacted, either positively or negatively, by various factors, including without limitation, the Company's ability to satisfy its debt and environmental obligations, regulatory compliance with local state and federal governmental agencies, financing sources, potential and actual litigation, weather, permits, raw materials cost, competition and business conditions in the mining and recyclable industries. As a result, the forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the statements herein. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, see the risk factors set forth in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year.

EDITOR'S NOTE: JPEG photos are available. Please e-mail Julie Layton at jlayton@standingpr.com for the file.

 Contact: Christi Dixon (314) 469-3500 Contact via http://www.marketwire.com/mw/emailprcntct?id=1E2A0BB1526A0BEF http://www.doerun.com

SOURCE: The Doe Run Company

Source: MARKET WIRE

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