The Effects of Mercury on Small Gold

Mining Communities

By: Taylor Ballantyne, Nikki Coble, Jonathan Narvaez, and Lauren Suggs

1
 Hazard Identification
● Mercury (Hg)
○ Methylmercury
○ Metallic Mercury
○ Mercuric Mercury
● Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold (Au) Mining
○ Amalgam
○ Vaporized Mercury
○ Water
○ Soil
○ Sediment
● Brazil Study
● Columbia Study
Torres, Y., Gallardo, K., & Verbel, J. (2017). Mercury pollution by gold mining in a global biodiversity hotspot,
the Choco biogeographic region, Colombia. Chemosphere, 421-430. 2
 Risk Characterization
● Cellular effects
● Severity
○ Metal fume fever
○ Acrodynia
○ Erethism
● Factors that determine Severity
○ Type
○ Dose
○ Ect.
● Consequences of Mercury
○ Nervous System
Health Effects of Exposures to Mercury. (2018,
○ Immune Systems February 16). Retrieved April 10, 2018, from
Mercury and health. Retrieved April 10, 2018, from https://www.epa.gov/mercury/health-effects-
3
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs361/en/ exposures-mercury
 Risk Characterization
● Artisanal Gold Miners Affected
● Worldwide
● Mercury and Pregnancy
○ How its affected
○ Consequences

Gundacker, C., & Hengstschläger, M. (2012). The role of the placenta in fetal exposure to heavy metals.
Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift, 162(9-10), 201-206.

Mercury Emissions: The Global Context. (2017, May 05). Retrieved April 10, 2018, from
https://www.epa.gov/international-cooperation/mercury-emissions-global-context

Artisanal Gold Mining: A Dangerous Pollution Problem. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2018, from
http://www.pureearth.org/artisanal-gold-mining-dangerous-pollution-problem/

4
 Dose-Response Assessment
● 80 to 100 million are currently engaged in
ASGM around the world.
● Mercury exposure among gold miners and in
gold mining communities is associated with
an increase in the prevalence of markers of
autoimmune dysfunction.
● In humans, elemental mercury is typically
measured in blood, hair or urine.

Gibb, H., & O'Leary, K. G. (2014). Mercury Exposure and Health Impacts among Individuals in the Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining
Community: A Comprehensive Review. Environmental Health Perspectives, 122(7), 667-672. Retrieved March, 2018. 5
 Dose-Response Assessment
● WHO reported that tremor has been observed in workers who are exposed
to 30 ug/m3 Hg.
● Renal tubular effects and changes in plasma enzymes are estimated to
occur at 15 ug/m3 Hg.
● The most common health effect reported among workers engaged in
ASGM are neurological effects.

Gibb, H., & O'Leary, K. G. (2014). Mercury Exposure and Health Impacts among Individuals in the Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining
Community: A Comprehensive Review. Environmental Health Perspectives, 122(7), 667-672. Retrieved March, 2018.
6
 Exposure Assessment

● Brought to an air vapor from the heating of amalgam a mixture composed of equal
parts of gold and mercury which is heated evaporating the mercury leaving behind
the gold.
● According to WHO mercury vapors in the air around the burning sites of amalgam
can be alarmingly high and almost always exceed their for public exposure of
mercury at 1.0 ug/m3 .

Gibb, H., & O'Leary, K. G. (2014). Mercury Exposure and Health Impacts among Individuals in the Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining Community: A
7
Comprehensive Review. Environmental Health Perspectives, 122(7), 667-672. Retrieved March, 2018.
 Exposure Assessment
● The inorganic form of mercury is methylmercury
● The vaporized mercury from the amalgam
eventually settles in soil and the sediment of
lakes, rivers, bays, and oceans
● Elemental mercury (the form of Hg used in gold
amalgamation) and methylmercury are toxic to
the central and peripheral nervous system.

Gibb, H., & O'Leary, K. G. (2014). Mercury Exposure and Health Impacts among Individuals in the Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining
Community: A Comprehensive Review. Environmental Health Perspectives, 122(7), 667-672. Retrieved March, 2018. 8
 Exposure Assessment
● In a gold mining operation in Venezuela a range of the
8-hour time- weighted average airborne mercury was
0.1- 6,315 ug/m3 with a mean of 183 ug/m3 .
● Reported that among self-employed gold miners in
Venezuela, the mean urinary mercury concentration
was 148 ug Hg/g-creatinine.
● The mean hair mercury concentration of individuals in
the ASGM community in Venezuela was above 2.5
ug/g.

Gibb, H., & O'Leary, K. G. (2014). Mercury Exposure and Health Impacts among Individuals in the Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining 9
Community: A Comprehensive Review. Environmental Health Perspectives, 122(7), 667-672. Retrieved March, 2018.
 Exposure Assessment
● Methylmercury bioaccumulates in fish. When
consumed by pregnant women it may lead to
neurodevelopmental problems in the
developing fetus.

● Transplacental exposure is the most

dangerous because of how sensitive the fetal
brain is.

● In children, acrodynia, a syndrome

characterized by red and painful extremities,
has been reported to result from chronic
mercury exposure.

Gibb, H., & O'Leary, K. G. (2014). Mercury Exposure and Health Impacts among Individuals in the Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining
Community: A Comprehensive Review. Environmental Health Perspectives, 122(7), 667-672. Retrieved March, 2018. 10
Stop at 2:50

https://youtu.be
/BmJTSptLab4
11
12
 Risk Management

● Education
● Resources
● Policy
● Cheap, efficient methods
● Mercury-free methods

13
 Risk Management
● Response options in Ghana
○ Delphi Process: having high feasibility and
environmental, economic and social benefits
○ Education programs
○ Money directed towards health and education in
mining communities
○ Exploring and implementing high yield Hg-free
alternatives
Basu, A., Phipps, S., Long, R., Essegbey, G., & Basu, N. (2015). Identification of response options to artisanal and small-scale gold mining
(ASGM) in ghana via the delphi process. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 12(9), 11345-11363.
10.3390/ijerph120911345 Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26378557 14
 Risk Management

● Minamata Convention on
Mercury
○ Global Treaty
○ Phasing out of mercury
○ Multiple sectors

Margaret A. Coulter. (2016). Minamata convention on mercury.

International Legal Materials, 55(3), 582-616.
10.5305/intelegamate.55.3.0582 Retrieved from
https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5305/intelegamate.55.3.0582 15
 Risk Management

•Pure Earth: dedicated to reducing risks from toxic

pollution in low and middle income countries
○ Target reduce,
○ US based release, recover
○ Non-profit ○ Provides tools and
○ Developed a global incentives
mercury program ○ Government and
miners
Pure Earth Blacksmith Institute (n.d.). Global
Mercury Program. Retrieved March 20, 2018,
from http://www.pureearth.org/global-
mercury-program/ 16
 Risk Management

● Mongolia (2014-2016):
○ Education
○ The Filipino method
○ Conducted live demonstrations and side-by-side trials
○ More: gold, time, water
○ Trained

Pure Earth Blacksmith Institute (n.d.). Global Mercury Program. Retrieved March 20, 2018, from http://www.pureearth.org/global-
mercury-program/ 17
 Risk Management

● Bolivia
○ Miner training
○ Local health professionals training
● Manica, Mozambique (2006-2010)
○ Developed training protocol
○ Retort technologies: reduced emission and cheap
○ Shown how to make retorts

Pure Earth Blacksmith Institute (n.d.). Global Mercury Program. Retrieved March 20, 2018, from http://www.pureearth.org/global-
18
mercury-program/
 Risk Management

● An Artisanal Gold Council (AGC) document

○ Retort technologies
○ Miners and agencies
○ Training

Richard M., Moher P., Rossin R., and Telmer K. (2014). Using Retorts to Reduce Mercury Use, Emissions and Exposures in Artisanal
and Small Scale Gold Mining: A Practical Guide, (Ver- sion 1.0), Artisanal Gold Council. Victoria, BC. ISBN 978-0-9939459-2-2 19
Risk Communication

● Risk communication campaigns are critical and deserve more

attention
● Have greatly ignored the socioeconomic and cultural dynamics
and educational needs of ASGM populations therefore
rendering them ineffective
● Points of disagreements, misconceptions, and lack of
knowledge were identified to serve as entry points for future
risk communication efforts
Luginaah, I. N. (2014). Environment and health in sub-saharan africa: Managing an emerging crisis. Springer.

20
 Risk Communication
● This certain risk communication plan
should be addressed to the men and
women that work and live next to these
mining areas
● Information that needs to be spread to
this target population is the risks of the
mercury vapor such as numbness, kidney
dysfunction, and neurological symptoms
● This also poses a risk for plant and
animal life which affects food and water
sources
Luginaah, I. N. (2014). Environment and health in sub-saharan africa:
21
Managing an emerging crisis. Springer.
 Risk Communication
● A study was done in Ghana in the
summer of 2006
● Majority of participants operated the
machines without a license and had
limited access to educational and
health services
● Miners participated in semi-
structured interviews in order to
evaluate perceived causes and
consequences of mercury and
arsenic exposure
Luginaah, I. N. (2014). Environment and health in sub-saharan
22
africa: Managing an emerging crisis. Springer.
Risk Communication

● These miners often found themselves trapped in a cycle of lack

of access to information and alternative technologies that
results in further contamination
● Many are aware of the toxicity but the immediate economic
needs outweigh the risks
● Create a peer-educator program supported by partnerships
with local agencies and researchers will contribute to a
community based approach to the concerns of mining
communities
Luginaah, I. N. (2014). Environment and health in sub-saharan africa: Managing an emerging crisis. Springer.
23
 Risk Communication
● Another project was done in Ecuador using
Peruvian miners where they were taught
new methods of mining such as cyanidation
● Consisted of a series of classes
● Interviews were held after the classes and
the majority believed education is a
fundamental point for them
Veiga, M. M., Angeloci, G., Ñiquen, W., & Seccatore, J. (2015). Reducing
mercury pollution by training Peruvian artisanal gold miners. Journal of
Cleaner Production, 94, 268-277. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.01.087

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 References:
1. Gibb, H., & O'Leary, K. G. (2014). Mercury Exposure and Health Impacts among Individuals in the Artisanal
and Small-Scale Gold Mining Community: A Comprehensive Review. Environmental Health Perspectives,
122(7), 667-672. Retrieved March, 2018.
2. Luginaah, I. N. (2014). Environment and health in sub-saharan africa: Managing an emerging crisis. Springer.
3. Veiga, M. M., Angeloci, G., Ñiquen, W., & Seccatore, J. (2015). Reducing mercury pollution by training
Peruvian artisanal gold miners. Journal of Cleaner Production, 94, 268-277. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.01.087
4. Gundacker, C., & Hengstschläger, M. (2012). The role of the placenta in fetal exposure to heavy metals.
Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift, 162(9-10), 201-206.
5. Mercury Emissions: The Global Context. (2017, May 05). Retrieved April 10, 2018, from
https://www.epa.gov/international-cooperation/mercury-emissions-global-context
6. Artisanal Gold Mining: A Dangerous Pollution Problem. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2018, from
http://www.pureearth.org/artisanal-gold-mining-dangerous-pollution-problem/
7. Mercury and health. Retrieved April 10, 2018, from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs361/en/
8. Health Effects of Exposures to Mercury. (2018, February 16). Retrieved April 10, 2018, from
https://www.epa.gov/mercury/health-effects-exposures-mercury
9. Torres, Y., Gallardo, K., & Verbel, J. (2017). Mercury pollution by gold mining in a global biodiversity hotspot,
the Choco biogeographic region, Colombia. Chemosphere, 421-430.
25
 References cont.

10. Basu, A., Phipps, S., Long, R., Essegbey, G., & Basu, N. (2015). Identification of response options to artisanal and small-
scale gold mining (ASGM) in ghana via the delphi process. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public
Health, 12(9), 11345-11363. 10.3390/ijerph120911345 Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26378557
11. Margaret A. Coulter. (2016). Minamata convention on mercury. International Legal Materials, 55(3), 582-
616..5305/intelegamate.55.3.0582 Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5305/intelegamate.55.3.0582
12. Pure Earth Blacksmith Institute (n.d.). Global Mercury Program. Retrieved March 20, 2018, from
http://www.pureearth.org/global-mercury-program/
13. Richard M., Moher P., Rossin R., and Telmer K. (2014). Using Retorts to Reduce Mercury Use, Emissions and Exposures
in Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining: A Practical Guide, (Version 1.0), Artisanal Gold Council. Victoria, BC. ISBN 978-
0-9939459-2-2
14. Bernhoft, R. A. (2012). Mercury Toxicity and Treatment: A Review of the Literature. Journal of Environmental and Public
Health, 2012, 460508.
15. Steckling, N., Bose-O’Reilly, S., Pinheiro, P., Plass, D., Shoko, D., Drasch, G., … Hornberg, C. (2014). The burden of
chronic mercury intoxication in artisanal small-scale gold mining in Zimbabwe: data availability and preliminary estimates.
Environmental Health, 13, 111.

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 References cont.

17. Ouboter, P. E., Landburg, G. A., Quik, J. H. M., Mol, J. H. A., & van der Lugt, F. (2012). Mercury Levels
in Pristine and Gold Mining Impacted Aquatic Ecosystems of Suriname, South America. Ambio, 41(8),
873–882. Mensah, E. K., Afari, E., Wurapa, F., Sackey, S., Quainoo, A., Kenu, E., & Nyarko, K. M.
(2016). Exposure of Small-Scale Gold Miners in Prestea to Mercury, Ghana, 2012. The Pan African
Medical Journal, 25(Suppl 1), 6.
18. Mensah, E. K., Afari, E., Wurapa, F., Sackey, S., Quainoo, A., Kenu, E., & Nyarko, K. M. (2016).
Exposure of Small-Scale Gold Miners in Prestea to Mercury, Ghana, 2012. The Pan African Medical
Journal, 25(Suppl 1), 6.
19. Motts, J. A., Shirley, D. L., Silbergeld, E. K., & Nyland, J. F. (2014). Novel biomarkers of mercury-
induced autoimmune dysfunction: a Cross-sectional study in Amazonian Brazil. Environmental
Research, 132, 12–18.
20. Schmidt, C. W. (2012). Quicksilver & Gold: Mercury Pollution from Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold
Mining. Environmental Health Perspectives, 120(11).

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