The pending mercury ban presents a daunting task for Zimbabwe as the nation seeks to regularise the operations of small- scale gold miners who rely on the toxic pollutant A seven-year-old girl shrieks in pain as if possessed whilst lying prone in a pool of vomit in a small hospital bed at the heart of Minamata, Japan. She is battling severe mental illness and paralysis. Doctors say the young girl, who has been confined to a wheelchair all her life and has never enjoyed or played like other children, is in an advanced and irreversible condition. Medical experts say within a few weeks, the little girl will drift into a coma and her last hours on earth will be just too unbearable - they say death is inevitable. After contracting an infection whilst still in her mother’s womb, the girl has exhibited symptoms that include ataxia, numbness of the hands and feet, narrowing of the field of vision, general muscle weakness and damage to hearing and speech. The young girl is the victim of a mercury poisoning catastrophe that occurred in the city of Minamata some 73 years before she was born. She will become a statistic and join thousands of other victims that have succumbed to resultant rare diseases in this sad way. Questions are now being asked, will the world end such health disasters which are a result of environmental damage? Almost a fortnight ago, more than a thousand delegates from about 140 nations, including Zimbabwe, adopted a treaty regulating the use and trade of mercury at an international conference organised by the United Nations Environment Programme in Kumamoto, Japan The landmark Minamata Convention on Mercury is named after the Japanese city where the release of toxic methyl mercury from Chisso Corporation’s chemical factory between 1932 and 1968 resulted in the poisoning of potable water and aqua life which has led to rare diseases and conditions afflicting thousands of people. As of March 2001, at least 2 265 people had been officially recognised as direct victims of the poisoning, of which 1 784 are dead but more continue to succumb to secondary effects. The pact, which will take effect 90 days after ratification by 50 nations, maps out measures to curb health and environmental damage caused by mercury by the year 2020, “recognising the substantial lessons derived from the Minamata disease.” According to the convention, “each party (countries signatory to the treaty) shall not allow, by taking appropriate measures, the manufacture, import or export of mercury- added products” after the phase-out date of 2020. The World Health Organisation describes mercury as a naturally occurring element that is found in air, water and soil. The United Nations organ further states that exposure to mercury - even small amounts - may cause serious health problems, and is a threat to the development of a child in utero and early in life. “Mercury may have toxic effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems and on lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes. People are mainly exposed to methyl mercury, an organic compound, when they eat in fish and shellfish that contain the compound,” says the WHO. Mercury is considered by the WHO as one of the top 10 chemicals or groups of chemicals of major public health concern. However, while world leaders are busy signing treaties and pledging to act against mercury use, the handlers of the toxic element seem oblivious of the developments and the danger they are exposed to. “What (mercury) ban are they (policymakers) talking about? Then, what do they expect us to do? Mercury is critical in trapping gold in the same way magnet attracts metal. When they ban it, what alternative do they have?” quizzed a puzzled Saviola Musundire, an illegal gold miner from Mashava, Midlands Province. “I am learning from you that mercury is harmful to health and the environment. I bet even some established miners in this part of the country are not aware of that because despite handling mercury on a daily basis I am yet to come across a person who says he is going for a medical check-up.” Musundire is not necessarily ignorant but is among the bulk of illegal gold miners who rely on mercury use for survival. The Minamata Convention, which will have a bearing on Musundire and millions of Zimbabweans, also seeks to decrease the discharge of mercury into the air, water and land, to promote proper storage and disposal of mercury. “Each party shall not allow the export of mercury except for uses specified under the convention . . . as well as reduce the use and discharge of mercury in the process of gold mining in developing countries,” reads part of the convention. With Zimbabwe appending her signature in Japan, through Environment, Water and Climate Minister Saviour Kasukuwere, a daunting task awaits back home. Will authorities move with speed in regularising over 100 000 illegal gold miners and about one million immediate families whose livelihoods hinge on gold produced from mercury? Mercury is used to purify gold from ore in a process called amalgamation, which exposes miners to the toxic element that vapourises through this process, and also contaminate both the land and water where gold processing will be occurring. Environment, Water and Climate Deputy Minister Simon Musanhu said his ministry and the Ministry of Mines and Miningt Development were consulting to map the way forward. “We will be holding conventions with other key stakeholders in two weeks to raise awareness to concerned parties on the need to engage in mining methods which guarantees the safety of the environment,” he said. However, Cde Musanhu said the Government was currently undertaking an inventory to ascertain the exact number of miners to be affected by the mercury ban. Zimbabwe is not the only affected nation. Artisanal small-scale gold mining is a source of livelihood for an estimated 10 to 15 million miners in 70 countries, including approximately three million women and children. According to an environmental awareness organisation, Mercury Watch, “artisanal scale gold mining is the single largest demand for mercury in the world. An estimated 1 400 tonnes of mercury were used by artisanal scale gold mining miners globally in 2011”. The watchdog says mercury ravages the nervous system of miners, communities and travels thousands of miles in the atmosphere, settling Illegal small-scale gold mining is the second- worst source of mercury poll
Posted on: Sun, 20 Oct 2013 06:31:02 +0000
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