Heavy Metals in Tumbes River-A Potential Risk for Health and Food Security in Northwest of Peru

Pollution of water by heavy metals is one of the most common environmental problems in Latin America. In most of cases, mining activity is responsible for pollution of natural water streams. One example of these cases takes place in the Tumbes river (northwest Peru) where illegal small-scale gold mining, located in Ecuador (where the river has its origin), pollutes the water mainly with different toxic elements such as As and Pb, Cd, cyanide, Hg, among others. Some of those pollutants significantly affect the aquatic ecosystem and negatively affect the water quality. Thus, the inhabitants living in rural areas surrounding to the river are exposed to this polluting loading. This chapter is a holistic vision of the situation of the heavy metals pollution in the Tumbes river basin and its potential effect over food production and human health in the Norwest of Peru.