Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
McKinley Counties are higher than the overall rates in the State (table 84). This may be due to the
high percentage of Hispanic and American Indian populations living in these counties.
Preliminary results of a study conducted with the Navajo population suggest there is an
association between diabetes and proximity to uranium mining features (Lewis et al., 2011).
These results are not finalized and will be updated once this study is published.
Highly associated with the prevalence of Type II diabetes is obesity. Rates of obesity in New
Mexico have almost doubled since 1990 (NMDH, 2011a). In McKinley County, rates of obesity
are significantly higher than rates for the State. Across the State, American Indians have
significantly higher rates of obesity than non-Hispanic Whites (33.7% (95% CI = 30.4-37.1)) vs.
20.4% (95% CI = 24.1-27.4), respectively).
Infectious Disease
Infectious diseases are those diseases that are transferred from one host to another. In many cases
the transfer is from human to human (as in the case of influenza or sexually transmitted diseases)
and in other cases this transfer occurs between animals or insects and humans (e.g., mosquitoborne
illnesses such as malaria and West Nile virus). Infectious diseases can have erratic patterns,
and sometimes spikes in transmission rates occur. Population influx and overcrowding often
result from resource development activities and are common instigators of infectious disease
outbreaks. This section reports on influenza, sexually transmitted infections, and tuberculosis,
three diseases that may be relevant in the context of the project.
Influenza
Influenza is a common condition that circulates every year in the general population, with certain
influenza strains (A and B) resulting in epidemics during the winter months. Usually this disease
results in “flu-like” symptoms of congestion, headaches, vomiting, and diarrhea; however, in
some immune-compromised populations, like the elderly, this disease can be deadly. Influenza
season in the U.S. is generally from October to May, peaking in January and February.
Vaccines are available for influenza and are believed to reduce the spread of this infectious
disease (NMDH, 2011b). Sixty-four and 70 percent of residents over the age of 65 in Cibola and
McKinley Counties received an influenza vaccine in 2009 (table 85).
Table 85. Respiratory infections and influenza vaccination in New Mexico, 2005–2009
Influenza vaccination rates per 100,000,
adults 65+, 2005–2009
Influenza and pneumonia death rates per
100,000, 2006–2009
Source: NMDH, 2011a
Abbreviations: CI – confidence interval
Cibola County
(95% CI)
64.0
(54.0 – 73.0)
27.0
(14.7 – 39.3)
McKinley County
(95% CI)
70.5
(63.8 – 76.5)
39.3
(28.0 – 50.6)
New Mexico
(95% CI)
68.7
(67.6 – 69.8)
20.6
(19.5 – 21.7)
DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest 391