Research center comes to copper's defense

Chile's mining and metallurgy research center CIMM is focusing on providing reliable scientific information that can be used for making decisions on regulating copper, El Dia newspaper reported. CIMM director Ignacio Moreno said the research being undertaken has been used to defend production of the red metal, which he said has come under attack in various countries from those using scientifically invalid data in an attempt to show that copper damages human health and the environment. Moreno highlighted studies into copper and heart disease, and levels of copper, zinc and iron in elderly people suffering chronic diseases. He was speaking at a meeting with students and academics from the mines department at the university of La Serena, in central-northern Chile's Region IV. Chile is the world's largest copper producer.