InfoAnda - Mercury in gold mining: a Third World toxic threat

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

US statesman Kissinger out of Seoul hospital | 14 March 2010
Canadian government savaged over failure to aid citizen | International | | 13 August 2009
Bulgaria looks to techno park on old steel site | 8 August 2009

Officials: Suicide attack kills 11 in NW Pakistan | 26 March 2009

">Forum Views () ">Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Mercury in gold mining: a Third World toxic threat

Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Secondary Navigation Australia China India Indonesia Japan Malaysia Philippines Thailand Vietnam Search Search: Mercury in gold mining: a Third World toxic threat By MICHAEL CASEY,AP Environmental Writer AP - Sunday, January 11 KERENGPANGI, Indonesia - A gold miner stands waist-deep in a polluted pond, dumps a capful of mercury into a bucket of ore and mixes it in with his bare hands. The darting liquid metal wraps itself around the gold to form a silver pellet the size of a marble. The use of mercury in gold mining is illegal in Indonesia because it is toxic to both human health and the environment. But the price of gold has tripled since 2001, and mercury is the easiest way to extract it. "Of course I'm worried," said miner Handoko, 23, a grim man in a baseball hat who goes by one name. "But this is the job." Tens of thousands of remote mining sites have sprung up mostly in Asia, Latin America and Africa, using as much as 1,000 tons of mercury each year. The mercury ravages the nervous system of miners and their families. It also travels thousands of miles in the atmosphere, settling in oceans and river beds in Europe and North America and moving up the food chain into fish. Small-scale gold mining is the second-worst source of mercury pollution in the world, after the burning of fossil fuels. And Indonesia ranks behind only China in the use of mercury in gold mining. Mercury's impact is evident in mining regions like Central Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo. Acres of tropical forest are now virtual desert. Villagers say fish populations have dropped by 70 percent. The Galangan gold mining site stretches several miles, stripped of trees and dotted with mercury-laced ponds. "This area is finished," said Fauzi Achmad, a gold shop owner, as he drove past the moonscape-like dunes and abandoned mine sites. Despite the hazards, buying mercury at gold mining sites is as easy as purchasing toothpaste. The international trade in mercury is largely unregulated. And most of the 55 countries where small-scale gold mining is rife lack the political will or capacity to prevent the toxic metal from falling into the hands of 10 to 15 million poor miners. "The continued use of mercury in gold mining threatens millions of people all over the world, since mercury is a global air pollutant," said Michael Bender, a coordinator for the Zero Mercury Working Group, a coalition of 40 groups worldwide that campaigns to reduce mercury use. "We're talking about a neurotoxin that science clearly shows threatens pregnant women, their fetus and those who eat large amounts of fish." ___ The use of mercury in gold mining goes back thousands of years. The Romans forced slaves and criminals to extract gold and silver with mercury. By the 20th century, mining companies had abandoned mercury in favor of chemicals like cyanide. But small-scale miners like it because it's easy to use, fast, cheap and leaves the gold cleaner than traditional panning. "The miner cannot be separated from the mercury," said Achmad, the gold shop owner, who has campaigned to persuade miners to use less mercury. "With mercury, it makes the work fast." Traders once relied on mercury from Spain, Algeria, China and Kyrgyzstan, but most mines are now shut and China only supplies its own market. So mercury comes from the leftover stockpiles of shuttered mines or the dozens of companies in Europe and the United States that recycle the metal from old light bulbs, batteries or industrial waste, according to the U.N. and the Zero Mercury Working Group. Flasks of mercury worth hundreds of dollars are sold into an opaque and largely unregulated network of brokers who crisscross the globe, according to Peter Maxson, a Brussels-based expert on the trade. They divert mercury supplied for legal purposes to the gold mines instead, where it can fetch prices 10 times higher than on the global market, he said. "Countries import several hundred times the mercury they need for dental and other legal uses," said Pablo Huidobro, project manager for the U.N. Industrial Development Organization's Global Mercury Project. "The excess makes its way to the miners through the black market." Maxson and other experts said it can be almost impossible to track the liquid metal as it passes through brokers and even criminal gangs on its way to a gold mine. A flask of mercury can originate in Spain, be sold to brokers in India, go on to popular transit points like Singapore or Vietnam and then get dumped in Indonesia. The United States alone exported nearly 498 tons of mercury in 2007, up from 378 tons in 2006. It mostly was sent to Canada, Suriname, Hong Kong and Mexico, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. "The whole trade has gone underground in the last five to 10 years. It's very secretive," Maxson said. "The companies dealing mercury won't tell you who their customers or even who the end users are." Experts in the trade say D.F.G. Mercury Corp. and Bethlehem Apparatus are among the top suppliers of mercury worldwide. Robert Goldsmith, president of D.F.G. Mercury Corp. of Evanston, Ill., said he sells his mercury domestically but acknowledged it can be difficult to determine what happens to it. Bruce Lawrence, president of Bethlehem Apparatus in Hellertown, Pa., declined to discuss the trade. On its Web site, Bethlehem describes itself as a global supplier of prime virgin and high purity mercury. Mercury traders say it's unfair to blame them for what happens at gold mining sites. "If people don't want mercury to be used in artisanal gold mining areas, particularly in China, Indonesia and South America, then they should stop importing it," said Howard Masters, the managing director of Lambert Metals International, a British company that sells 25,000 to 30,000 flasks of mercury yearly worldwide. "It is up to the governments themselves, as all imports into these countries are only allowable under license," he said. "But don't stop genuine consumption of mercury around the world, where it has very good uses and is not an environmental problem when used correctly." Marc Claushuis, director of the Dutch firm Claushuis Metals, which sells 200 tons of mercury each year to Latin America, Africa and Europe, expressed frustration over his inability to control its use. "Of course, I feel unhappy ... You send your end product to countries where you know it gets a lot of pollution," he said. "There is not so much you can do." Once in Indonesia, mercury is trafficked through chemical shops in big cities like Surabaya or Jakarta and transported to mine sites in energy drink and vitamin bottles to avoid detection. It ends up behind the counters of gold shops in Central Kalimantan, Papua and North Sulawesi. Indonesia periodically tears down illegal gold mining camps and slapped a ban on mercury use in mining three years ago, but mercury prices then doubled. Irwanto Thomas, a government environmental official in Central Kalimantan, acknowledged that mercury is widely used and will remain so until miners have better opportunities. "They ask what job we can provide them," Thomas said. "Until now, the government has not provided them with an answer." ___ The dusty main street of the Indonesian gold mining town of Kerengpangi is lined with dozens of gold shops. It takes only a gentle inquiry to send a shop owner scurrying to a back room for the mercury. "Sometimes, I sell mercury to the miners or just give it to them for free," said gold shop owner Rachmadi, who also trades gold for mercury. Mercury is easily found at most mining sites worldwide. In Africa, miners buy it in small plastic bags stored in Tupperware containers or Vitamin C tubes. In Peru, it is sold in dental shops. In gold mines, as much as one to three grams of mercury are lost for every gram of gold produced. But mercury is a slow and silent killer, so miners scoff at health concerns. They recall how they breathed mercury fumes or handled the toxic liquid for years with no problems. Some Indonesian miners have even smeared mercury on their skin in the belief it will make them stronger, according to a U.N. report. "Sometimes the gold and mercury gets into my mouth," said Sumardianto, a jovial 36-year-old miner who has dug for gold in Central Kalimantan since 1996 and lives in a tented camp with his wife. "I'm OK. I don't have any illnesses. I don't worry about using mercury." Numbers of people killed or disabled by mercury are impossible to nail down, experts say. But tests on miners in Indonesia, the Philippines, Colombia, Guyana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Brazil found mercury levels up to 50 times above World Health Organization limits, according to a 2006 U.N. report. Symptoms such as reduced motor skills, fatigue and weight loss are routine at mining sites, the U.N. said. Gold shop owners also breathe the mercury vapor they burn off. The U.N. has spent $7 million in six countries, including Indonesia, to educate miners and gold shops about mercury. The European Union agreed earlier this year to ban mercury exports from 2011. And President George W. Bush signed a bill in October sponsored by Sen. Barack Obama, now president-elect, that bans all elemental mercury exports by 2013. Mercury recyclers argued that bans would promote the mining of more mercury and shift the export trade from Western countries to developing nations like India. Already, 83 percent of mercury in the U.S. is believed to come from abroad, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and 44 states have issued health advisories about eating contaminated fish. "What is motivating governments at the highest level is a strong recognition that mercury is a global pollutant," said Kevin Telmer, an expert on small-scale mining at the University of Victoria in Canada. "It's clear that small-scale mining is adding to the global mercury problem." ___ Associated Press writers Irwan Firdaus in Jakarta, Jorge Sainz in Madrid and Rukmini Callimachi in Dakar, Senegal, contributed to this report. ___ On the Net: Zero Mercury Global Campaign: http://www.zeromercury.org/ Global Mercury Project: http://www.globalmercuryproject.org/ Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Recommend this article Average (0 votes) Sign in to recommend this article » Most Recommended Stories » Related Articles: Asia Pacific Thai by-elections to test PM's political strengthAP - 25 minutes ago Mercury in gold mining: a Third World toxic threatAP - Sunday, January 11 Sri Lanka says rebel group on brink of defeatAP - Sunday, January 11 Chief of fraud-hit Indian IT firm in prisonAFP - Sunday, January 11 Japanese foreign minister visits Thailand for political talksAFP - Sunday, January 11 Most Popular – Asia Pacific Viewed Citigroup: 2-billion-dollar exposure to LyondellBasell Is Tintin gay? Cartoon birthday boy dogged by rumours Half the planet could be hit by food crisis by 2100: study Marks & Spencer to axe 1,230 jobs and close 27 stores Finance fights sex for Aussie dictionary honour View Complete List » Search: Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular

Other News on Sunday, 11 January 2009
Iran disputes report on suicide volunteers
Russia, EU agree plan to resume Europe gas supply
Fans of Mafia supremos get comeuppance on Facebook
Iraqi govt won't forcibly evict Iranians
Obama's team touts stimulus
Three down, one left for Mitsubishi in Dakar
Nine-Year-Old Missing Girl Found By Police Using Google Street View
Peanut Butter Eyed As Nationwide Salmonella Outbreak Culprit
USS George HW Bush Aircraft Carrier Commissioned
Chief of fraud-hit Indian IT firm in prison
Japanese foreign minister visits Thailand for political talks
Indonesia, France disappointed by rebuffal of UN resolution in Gaza: Yudhoyono
Venus leads Americas to victory in Hong Kong team event
China announces aid package to assist poor: state media
China house prices fall for first time since 2005: state media
China denies closing rail industry to foreign manufacturers
3rd Satyam exec detained after fraud scandal
Attorney: 'Idol' star's NC home won't be auctioned
China forecasts 188 million rail passengers over Lunar New Year
Israel and Hamas vow to fight on in Gaza
Russia signs gas deal with EU | International |
Ukraine signs Russian gas transit deal: Ukraine PM
Swiss Army knife meets Bluetooth
Anger at cardinal's likening of Gaza to death camp
Costa Rica digs for quake victims | International |
Irish foe of EU treaty to set up party offshoot in Poland
US-TECH Summary
Israel warns of further escalation as Gaza death toll tops 850
Venezuela's Chavez threatens to expel U.S. diplomat | International |
Yahoo's Web TV faces uphill battle
At least 33 dead as Peru bus dives off mountain road | International |
Obama touts stimulus plan
Europe protests call for halt to Gaza conflict
Israel tells Gazans to brace for war escalation
Yahoo's Web TV faces uphill battle | Technology |
Chavez says US heating oil program never suspended
Obama-stimulus plan can add and save up to 4 million U.S. jobs
Canada to be Obama's 1st foreign trip as president
Thai by-elections to test PM's political strength
Mercury in gold mining: a Third World toxic threat
Sri Lanka says rebel group on brink of defeat
Latin singer Flex leads Romantic evolution | Entertainment |
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Liverpool hands over culture capital title to Austria's Linz
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Latin singer Flex leads "Romantic" evolution
Six soldiers, 40 militants killed in NW Pakistan: official
Israel and Hamas vow to fight on in Gaza | International |
Shortcovers turns iPhones into electronic books
FCC head opposes Obama bid to delay US shift to digital TV
Russia set to resume European gas supplies after deal
ECB under pressure to cut lending rates
Britain's Prince Harry apologises for racist language
Blu-ray DVD booms in aftermath of format war victory
Palm crowns comeback at CES with 'Best in Show' award
Japan PM in Seoul, aims to boost economic ties | International |
Israel pounds Gaza City after warning of escalation
India says not reached end of road on Mumbai attacks | International |
Record tourist numbers as Nepal emerges from civil war | International |
Shortcovers turns iPhones into electronic books
Palm crowns comeback at CES with 'Best in Show' award
Tokyo fish market to re-open to 'ill-mannered' tourists
Pakistan: 6 troops, 40 militants killed in attack
Pakistan extends house arrest of militant leader
Taiwan enforces strict anti-smoking law
US rejected Israel's plea for strike against Iran: report
Thailand holds by-elections in key test for new PM
Four civilians killed in Thai south: police
Japan PM seeks new ties with SKorea by sidestepping tensions
Elvis fever shakes, rattles and rolls Australian town
China to mark defeat of Tibet uprising
Japanese prime minister arrives in Seoul
Venezuela's Chavez investigates US official
US military deaths in Afghanistan region at 561
AirAsia X eyes Japan after Tokyo relaxes tough visa rule
Japan's Sanyo braces for zero profit: report
China vice president urges Macau to diversify: reports
Subdued Detroit auto show to focus on going green
Weak won attracts tourists, keeps Koreans at home: government data
Healthier Chinese art market may emerge from crisis
China's Huawei wins 235-mln-dollar Costa Rica 3G phone deal
Party like it's not 2008: Golden Globes return
French filmmaker Claude Berri hospitalised
Party like it's not 2008: Golden Globes return
Foreign-language Globe contenders meet, greet fans
Screenwriter floors it with 'Gran Torino'
'Slumdog' favorite as Globes launch Oscars countdown
Overwork a silent killer in Japan
Formals, face lifts, free stuff: It's Globes time
Britain's Prince Harry apologises for racist language
Sudan security chief warns foreigners of attacks
Six soldiers, 40 militants killed in NW Pakistan: official
Indonesia ferry carrying 250 people sinks: minister | International |
Saudi reformer freed after 8 months in jail
Sri Lanka army fights to finish off Tamil Tigers | International |
Sudan security chief warns foreigners of attacks | International |
Pakistan: 6 troops, 40 militants killed in attack
More than 260 missing in Indonesian ferry disaster
Ex—triad leader Tan Chor Jin cremated
China shuts 91 sites in porn crackdown: state media
25 injured in Philippine plane accident
Man pours flammable liquid on MP, sets him on fire
Indonesia ferry carrying 250 people sinks
Japan's prime minister visits South Korea
India names new board for fraud-hit Satyam
India names 3 to Satyam board after fraud scandal
Report: Taiwan to cut number of foreign laborers
Some 20,000 Indonesian Muslims urge end to Israeli strikes
Toyota to launch pure electric car in U.S. by 2012
Taliban commander killed in offensive: Australia | International |
Somali Islamists clash as Ethiopians withdraw | International |
Toyota to launch pure electric car in U.S. by 2012 | Technology |
Obama vows to tackle Middle East 'on day one'
Obama vows Mideast peace effort from 'day one'
Dr Yaacob lauds S’pore Muslims’ rational response to Mideast conflict
Thai by-elections test ex-PM's influence
Singapore MP set on fire in attack by 70-yr-old
Crowd tries to attack US Consulate in Pakistan
Sri Lanka's military: Soldiers seize rebel camps
Some recent maritime disasters off Indonesia
China seizes man suspected of killing 8 people
Obama Family Makes Surprise Visit To Lincoln Memorial
Tweaked American Idol returns with new judge | Entertainment |
Storm sinks Indonesian ferry, 250 feared dead
Storm sinks Indonesian ferry with 250 passengers
Tweaked "American Idol" returns with new judge
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01