BHP Billiton has been fined as part-owner of one of the world's largest zinc and copper mines for a toxic slurry spill last year that sickened dozens of villagers in Peru.

Peru's Environment Minister Manuel Pulgar-Vidal has told The Associated Press that the Antamina consortium was fined $US77,000 ($A80,195) for infractions that included a delay in alerting authorities.

Immediately after the July 25 spill, he had called for the maximum penalty of $US13 million. Pulgar-Vidal says that under standards set since the spill, Antamina would have faced a higher fine.

The new rules set a maximum fine of $US41 million for a single incident of environmental contamination. Antamina's owners are BHP Billiton, Glencore-Xstrata, Teck Cominco and Mitsubishi Corp. The slurry caused nosebleeds, nausea, blurred vision and headaches. Some villagers complain of recurring symptoms.