Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
Social Pathologies and Mental Health
Social pathologies are social and psychological health problems that arise in the context of
specific sociocultural and physical environments. Of particular concern are alcohol and drug
abuse, and associated injuries and mental well-being. These types of health impacts have
commonly been experienced in other resource extraction communities across North America, and
have been documented in Louisiana, Wyoming, British Columbia, Alberta and other areas
(Goldenberg et al., 2010; Seydlitz and Laska, 1994; Bush and Medd, 2005). These impacts have
also been observed in the ROI during previous uranium development boom periods (Milkman et
al., 1980; Brodeur, 2003) and are, therefore, important to discuss here.
Alcohol- and drug-related deaths and injuries include diseases such as chronic liver disease and
events such as falls, motor vehicle-related deaths, non-alcohol poisoning, suicide, and homicide.
Since 1990, rates of drug and alcohol-induced death and alcohol-related injury have been
increasing steadily in New Mexico. Rates of alcohol- and drug-related deaths and injuries are
higher in New Mexico than in the rest of the country (table 89), and rates in McKinley and Cibola
Counties appear to be significantly higher than the rates for New Mexico; in Cibola County death
rates attributable to alcohol are almost three times higher than the U.S. as a whole, and McKinley
County this figure is over four times the national rate. Social pathology-related health outcomes
also extend to younger populations; approximately one-third of youth in Cibola and McKinley
Counties report using illicit drugs. Suicide death rates in youth are similar to rates observed in
adults in McKinley County. Overall, suicide death rates have been fairly stable since 1995.
Table 89. Social pathology-related mortality in selected jurisdictions, per 10,000 population
Cibola County
(95% CI)
Adults (2007-2009)
Alcohol-related death rate, 7.81
(5.87 – 10.42)
Alcohol-related chronic disease death
rates
4.17
(2.82 – 6.22)
Alcohol-related injury death rates 3.64
(2.33 – 5.68)
Drug-induced death rate 1.52
(0.80 – 3.01)
Suicide death rates 2.24
(1.22 – 3.25)
Past 30-day illicit drug use, grades 9-
12, 2007 (per 100)
Suicide death rates (per 10,000)
among youth (15-24yrs), 2005-2009
Source: NMDH, 2011a
Abbreviations: CI – confidence interval
30.4%
(22.9 – 39.1)
0.88
(0.0 – 21.0)
Youth
McKinley County
(95% CI)
11.64
(9.93 – 13.73)
6.52
(5.26 – 8.19)
5.11
(4.01 – 6.63)
1.27
(0.84 – 2.14)
2.25
(1.61 – 2.90)
35.1%
(28.8 – 42.0)
2.54
(14.0 – 36.8)
New Mexico U.S.*
5.29 2.81
2.39 1.19
2.90 1.62
2.28 1.27
396 DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest
1.86
25.5%
(21.7 – 29.7)
2.06
1.13
(2007)
NA
0.97
(2007)