Venezuela  
Among the environmental concerns in Venezuela is the effect of pesticides and other agrochemicals on the health of peasant women.  A study by the Central University of Venezuela’s Ivonne Alvarado found that in 43% of cases, samples of mother’s milk were found to contain organochlorine insecticides.  Cases of respiratory congestion and rashes are frequently reported among poor women and children. 

The Venezuelan government is being accused of an oil spill cover up, downplaying the extent of the damage to the Venezuelan coastline after an oil spill on March 1, 1997.  The Venezuelan environmental organization FORJA is accusing the Environment Ministry of admitting to only 9000 of nearly 60,000 barrels of crude oil that leaked from a Greek tanker accident in Lake Maracaibo and the Gulf of Venezuela.  Orinoco Oilwatch says the accident caused “extensive pollution” and “serious damage” to the sensitive ecosystems along the coast. 

Sources: 
“Chemicals Threaten Venezuelan Peasant Women” 
http://www.oneworld.org/ips2/feb98/venezuela_pesticides.html 
“Venezuela Accused of Oil Spill Coverup” 
http://www.envirolink.org/archives/enews/0342.html 
The Lonely Planet 
http://www.lonelyplanet.com.au/dest/sam/graphics/map-ven.htm 

Guiana  
In Guiana, the government and the people are fighting to save any more of their tropical rainforests from being granted to foreign firms.  At present, about 30% of the forest has been leased to foreign firms.  In order to assure there is no danger of the forest being depleted, the government has set aside 607,000 hectares of reserved forest and called in agencies such as the British Overseas Development Administration, the World Resources Institute, and the World Bank to assist the forest service in monitoring the industry.  Many environmentalists, led by the militant Guiana Human Rights Association (GHRA) are doing extensive research on the backgrounds of prospective Asian firms. 

In August 1996, a dam holding cyanide-laced mine waste leaked into the Omai and Essequibo rivers of Guiana.  Years later, residents along those waterways are still fearful of the effects.  The spill affected the lives of more than 30,000 residents and Leo Fernandez of Riverview admits “we are still afraid to drink the water or swim in the river,” and “we have to walk two miles into the bush to get water from creeks.”  The mine was closed for five months after the spill and Cambior Inc., the Canadian based owner of Omai Gold Mines has taken full responsibility, but residents are still feeling the effects.  Fishermen, loggers, and minors among others whose lives were disrupted and incomes lost due to the damage brought hundreds of claims against the company. 

Sources: 
“Two Years Later the Fear is Still Real” 
http://www.oneworld.org/ips2/aug/guyana.html 
“Government on the Defensive on Forest Concessions” 
http://www.oneworld.org/ips2/apr/guyana.html 
“Locals Say No to Asian Companies” 
http://www.oneworld.org/ips2/apr/guyana2.html 
The Lonely Planet 
http://www.lonelyplanet.com.au/dest/sam/graphics/map-guy.htm