Residents of Paraíso, Tabasco, claim that the refinery’s operations have negatively impacted the health of the population, especially pregnant women, children, and people with chronic illnesses.
Built on the orders of Andrés Manuel López Obrador to improve the well-being of the people, the Olmeca Refinery in Dos Bocas, Paraíso, has only brought illness and pollution, according to residents, with children and women being the most affected.
Since October 2025, parents of children attending the Agustín Melgar kindergarten and the Abías Domínguez Alejandro elementary school, located in the Lázaro Cárdenas del Río neighborhood, just four kilometers from the refinery, have held marches demanding the relocation of these schools. They report that their children are experiencing headaches, dizziness, nausea, and even fainting spells. These discomforts are compounded by the loud noises (from machinery, buzzing, and flares), vibrations, the smell of fuel, and coke dust, a petroleum derivative that sticks to the lungs.
“We are requesting the relocation of our schools; we are doing this because it is a right for our children, because of the proximity of our schools to the refinery, and because of the promises made to us at the beginning. They told us they were going to relocate us, and we trusted them and believed they would keep their word. As the law stipulates, a minimum distance of 500 meters is required; we are not asking for anything more,” stated Ariadna Aranda, one of the mothers.
Juan Manuel Orozco, an environmental specialist who collaborates with the Mexican Center for Environmental Law (Cemda) and Climate Connections, explained that the particles can originate from various sources, but are also associated with the combustion of fossil fuels. The concern is that these particles have direct effects on people’s health, especially children’s, and that the consequences can include an increased risk of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases, pulmonary emphysema, and some types of cancer.
The specialist noted that four air quality monitoring stations have been installed in Paraíso, where the refinery is located, and one more in Comalcalco. All the information has been presented to the authorities, but they have taken no action.
Javier López Contreras, a native of Paraíso, stated that this refinery has been a drastic change in the lives of all the inhabitants, primarily due to noise problems and the high decibel levels, as well as acid rain in the town known as Villa Puerto Ceiba.
He mentioned that the population suffers from burning throats and eyes, forcing them to stay indoors or find ways to alleviate the discomfort; in some cases, they even have to wear wet face masks to withstand the smoke that penetrates their lungs.
“It pains us to say it, but the life expectancy we used to have of 80 to 90 years will now be 50 to 60 years at most for the new generation,” he indicated.
In the community of Torno Largo, 7 kilometers from the refinery, women report that many have lost their breasts due to the increase in breast cancer resulting from oil activity.
In the town of Puerto Ceiba, with approximately 2,800 inhabitants, men, women, and children suffer from various ailments that residents attribute to pollution: leukemia, colon cancer, breast cancer, thyroid cancer, uterine cancer, and stomach cancer, as well as chronic respiratory problems.
All the residents of these communities attribute the health problems to the proximity of the Dos Bocas Refinery and to the way in which it has failed to comply with the public health protocols established for this type of facility.
Source: El Universal
