Avelar told Amandala that she has grown weary of the legal process and after two and a half years of struggling with the authorities to improve her living conditions, she feels that her last resort is the media.

She told the newspaper that her problem with Cisneros? vehicle spray painting garage is that the fumes from his painting jobs, which are done in his garage directly across the street from her yard, drifts directly into her house. She said that the fumes from the paint get into the air, and eventually make its way over to her house because of the direction that the wind blows.

Avelar said that before Cisneros began complying with the directives from the Department of the Environment (DOE), he used to paint his vehicles in the open, in his yard.

She first went to the Belize City Council (BCC) to complain about the matter, since the BCC had given him a license to operate in the neighborhood. She said that her early attempts to get the BCC to do something did not yield many results.

Eventually, the neighbor?s feud was brought to the attention of the DOE, who visited Cisneros? garage in late July. The DOE concluded that Cisneros? ?facility was almost completely open.? He was instructed to ?enclose the area and put in place safeguards.?

Six months later, the DOE inspected Cisneros? garage again, after Avelar?s complaints persisted. The DOE found that Cisneros had made some adjustments to his garage, and granted him a three-month extension to complete the necessary changes.

In mid 2003, the DOE and the BCC conducted a joint inspection, and found that Cisneros was making a conscious effort to comply with the DOE?s directives, especially where the enclosure of the painting facility was concerned. He was given an additional three-month extension.

Meanwhile, Avelar?s health was being affected by her neighbor?s failure to comply with the DOE?s directives with greater immediacy. She soon had to travel to El Salvador to seek medical attention. She was complaining of chronic migraines, nausea, fatigue, and was now troubled with labored breathing. The doctors she sought medical attention from told her that her illnesses were caused from the fumes coming from Cisneros? paint garage. They told her that she was inhaling chemical solvents and that the constant exposure to the harmful chemicals was causing her illnesses.

This diagnosis was similar to the one she was given in early 2003 from a reputable local medical practitioner, who told her in a letter that her ?shortness of breath was a result from her contact with fumes from paint.?

Avelar said that while her medical condition was worsening, her children were also beginning to complain of some of the symptoms she was exhibiting. She said that her son, 11, now complains of migraines, while her other son, 14, complains of labored breathing.

In February of this year, the DOE and the BCC conducted another joint inspection of Cisneros? garage, only to find that while he had made the structural adjustments, like enclosing his painting facilities, his workers were not properly equipped with protective gear, and he was still sanding the vehicles outside of the designated area.

About two months later, another inspection showed that even though Cisneros had installed two extractor fans and vents, there were still other adjustments that had to be made, such as where the extracted fumes were going. According to a DOE letter, the fumes were being emitted at the surface and not in a layer of soil, as was required.

Eventually, the DOE issued an order for Cisneros to cease operations until he had complied with all the requirements of the department.

About that same time, Cisneros took the matter to the Ombudsman, said Avelar, who added that Cisneros took the case to the Ombudsman because he felt harassed by her.

In early October of this year, Ombudsman Rodriguez wrote a letter to the Chief Environmental Officer in the DOE, Ismael Fabro, saying that even though Cisneros has complied with the DOE?s directives, more must be done to safeguard the health of his workers and his neighbors.

After Avelar showed the newspaper pictures she had taken from her verandah, which gave the impression that while Cisneros was painting vehicles with two of his doors closed, it appeared that the fumes were escaping through two other open doors of his workshop.

When Amandala visited Cisneros? garage this afternoon, the newspaper found that Cisneros seems to have complied with stipulations made by the DOE. We found that Cisneros has a paint booth. His workshed is partitioned, creating two separate sections, and one of these work sections is what he uses as his paint booth.

Cisneros showed the newspaper the extraction fans that he had installed, as well as the fans and charcoal filter. He also showed the newspaper the chimney that the DOE had instructed him to install. He said that he had had to order the filters from Miami, and that the filters were the ones that professional paint booths use.

He made it clear that he feels that he is being targeted, since he is not aware of any other paint garage in Belize that has the same equipment as he does.

He pointed out that he feels he has complied with every request that the DOE has made of him. He said that his compliance has cost him somewhere in the neighborhood of $35,000. Cisneros said that he has grown tired of his neighbor?s complaints over the past two and half years.

He told the newspaper that after Avelar took him to court and won, she is still trying to take the matter to the Supreme Court. And according to Cisneros, the authorities are also growing tired of the situation. He added that he does not think that there is anything else that he could do to alleviate the situation. He also said that none of his other neighbors complain.

Avelar does not disagree, noting that her neighbors have refused to join her in her fight against Cisneros? garage. She feels, however, that it is because they are not being affected to the same extent as her family. Avelar said that the fumes from Cisneros? garage, and with the smell of the swamp behind her house, she has to have her house locked up all day.

Cisneros told the newspaper that while he understands that his neighbor is a sick woman, he also has to make a living. He said that he now feels that because she continues to complain even after he has made so many changes, she has a personal vendetta against him.

Avelar maintained, however, that she does not want to jeopardize Cisneros? business, but has to consider her health, and that of her two children, who are being affected, and something must be done.

Avelar said that even though Cisneros has installed the filters and the vents, he does not use them. She told the newspaper that he still paints with his doors open and she now feels that because he has the equipment to prevent the fumes from drifting to her house, he is deliberately not using it just to spite her.

Avelar also noted that she has lost one domestic employee because the worker could not cope with the fumes that drifted into her house. She allowed the newspaper to speak to her present domestic worker, who told us that the fumes that enter Avelar?s house have caused her to feel dizzy and give her frequent headaches.

This afternoon the newspaper spoke to Fabro, who said that not much more could be done in the Cisneros-Avelar predicament. He said that Cisneros has complied with the DOE?s directives and all the DOE could do now was to make sure that he uses his facilities efficiently.

He added that the measures that have been taken only offer a partial solution to the problem, noting that with all Cisneros has done, he can only alleviate the situation by 95 percent, as opposed to 100 percent.

Fabro said that it is the 5 percent that cannot be bridged that continue to prompt Avelar?s complaints. He said that even though the Cisneros-Avelar predicament is being dealt with on an environmental level, it is also a zoning problem.

He said that Belize City has light industries situated in residential areas, and that the fact that there are industries that use chemicals, such as Cisneros? garage, will always be a problem. He gave the example of industries that do welding late into the night, which annoys residents because of the noise (hammering of the metal).

Avelar also told the newspaper that she would not move from the area, because her family has worked very hard to build its house and she does not think that she should have to move because of an industrial operation that does not belong in a residential area.