In one of Mexico’s most aggressive moves yet against industrial pollution, the government has fined hazardous waste processor Zinc Nacional about 83.2 million pesos (US $4.8 million) and ordered sweeping cleanup measures at its plant near Monterrey, Nuevo León.
The action followed a joint investigation by The Guardian newspaper and the Mexican investigative unit Quinto Elemento Lab that found dangerously high levels of lead, arsenic and cadmium in homes and schools around the plant in the Monterrey metropolitan area.
⚠️| La @PROFEPA_Mx multó con 83.2 millones de pesos a la firma Zinc Nacional, luego de que the Guardian y Quinto Elemento Lab revelaran la presencia de metales pesados en las casas, calles y escuelas aledañas a esta recicladora de residuos peligrosos en el área metropolitana de… pic.twitter.com/7W80LEjBdy
— Quinto Elemento Lab (@quintoelab) January 27, 2026
The reporting showed facilities in the region were emitting more toxic heavy metals than those reported in many U.S. states, and more carbon dioxide than nearly half the world’s nations.
Mexico’s Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) disclosed in late January that the fine was imposed Dec. 17, 2025, after inspections were launched earlier in the year in response to media reports.
In a press release, the agency also said it signed an Environmental Liability Agreement on Dec. 10 obligating Zinc Nacional to carry out remediation, restoration and compensation for environmental damage and to implement 24 corrective measures.
Those measures include relocating key processes to a new plant outside residential areas, building covered warehouses to end open-air storage of raw materials, paving internal roads, constructing new water and containment systems, remediating contaminated land and reforesting more than 5 hectares of company property.
Another outcome is an industrial Atmospheric Monitoring Network described by Profepa as “the first of its kind in Latin America” — designed to track heavy metals and other pollutants around major plants.
Profepa chief Mariana Boy Tamborrell said, “The work we have done over the past year with Zinc Nacional is a watershed moment in how we monitor and inspect regulatory compliance by industries.”
Investigation finds dangerous levels of heavy metals around Monterrey hazardous waste plant
Zinc Nacional, a privately owned Mexican company founded in 1952, has acknowledged some contamination on its land but said its emissions remain below regulatory limits but vowed to “reduce the environmental footprint of our operations.”
Residents and activists say government actions still fall short of addressing health risks in surrounding neighborhoods.
Zinc Nacional recovers zinc from waste — including material shipped from U.S. steel mills — and supplies zinc oxide, zinc sulfate and other compounds to customers in North America and beyond.
Its plant in the municipality of San Nicolás de los Garza — the part of Monterrey metro area that includes the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL) — sits about 200 km from the U.S. border crossing at Laredo, Texas, and 430 km from San Antonio, Texas.
With reports from The Guardian, La Jornada and Reporte Indigo
