The Small Scale Mining Operation
Gold mining causes many problems. I have barely scratched the surface. On the small scale mining front, local communities deal with miners that are not from their region. These miners do not have any real sense of responsibility to the surround area. Many miners use inapprorpiate tools and technologies that lead to all types of environmental poisoning like in rivers, air pollution, and reports/incidents of work-related injuries. Many experts agree that the most harmful technology employed by these small scale miners is the process of mercury-based amalgamation. A process only now have I begun to familiarize myself with. In a nutshell, it involves (excuse my lack of education here) mixing mercury with gold slurries (gold particles), then heat the mix to separate the gold from them. If I find a better definition - because I am still not sure I understand this one - I will post it.
It is becoming increasingly important to raise awareness of small scale miners of how their operations impact the environment, expose them to alternate safe methods of obtaining their gold (such as Cleangold Sluice, I hope to provide more information on this technology soon), and how to obtain the gold at a lower cost. If you can show small scale miners that they can employ alternate techniques that are safer and cleaner and still show a financial gain, why wouldn't they use it? Well mistrust is one problem that is hard to get around. Miners also still don't understand the huge health and environmental impact that mercury causes.
Mining is practiced in the open, so there are no waste collection systems. So mercury contamination is subjected to air and water. The way the amalgamation process is employed with the use of grinders, mercury is atomized and forms a power like substance (mercury flour) that is no longer viable for amalgamation so new raw material is used. Where does the mecury flour go? It is discarded and dumped. Little if any protection gear is used in the handling of mercury. It is also breathed into the lungs of the miners, and carried through rainfall deposition which means it pollutes terrestrial ecosystems by the very nature that it can travel large distances. In the water, it can travel through the food chain lodging contamination into animal tissue.
Why do artisinal small miners use Mercury in the mining process to begin with? Well, it's easy to use, accessible, and cheap. As I stated before, most miners are unaware of the health and environmental risks. Hg, is not allowed to be used for mining in most countries. I found that surprising but true. It enters countries legally for dental use and is sold to mining companies for dental use as in animal dental treatments. The UK, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, U.S., Canada are all exporters of Hg.
Sources:
1. www.parkswatch.org
2. Environmental Health Perspectives Vol. 109
3. Global Mercury Project "Next Steps"
