Small-Scale Gold Mining Related Mercury Contamination in the Guianas: A Review
Numerous studies over several decades have examined different aspects of the impact of mercury use in mining across the Guianas. Globally, the growing awareness of the negative impacts of mercury use, both in terms of environmental and human health, has culminated in the drafting and ratification of the Minamata Convention which obliges signatories to phase out mercury use. As a contribution to decision making the aim of this review is to explore the extent of small scale gold mining (SSGM) related mercury contamination in the Guianas. It will focus on mercury trade; the presence of mercury in the air, freshwater, soil and marine environments; entry into the food chain and exposure of the human population.
As the title suggests, the focus of this document is on mercury contamination related to SSGM. The authors recognise that the relative contribution of human and natural sources (anthropogenic vs lithogenic) of mercury to contamination in the Guiana Shield and wider Amazon is the source of some controversy. Data speaking to this issue (e.g. core samples and isotope analyses) are included in this review, however, our principal intention is to detail the current levels and extent of contamination resulting from mercury use in SSGM.
This review is a comprehensive compilation of all available to clearly show the extent and severity of the issue. To that end a systematic literature search of online journals has been carried out (search terms: mercury OR Hg [title/abstract] + Suriname OR Guyana OR Guiana OR Guianas OR Guianan [title/abstract]) in addition to a review of the WWF Guianas’ database of documents on mercury contamination and reports provided by partner organisations.
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Additional Info
- Author(s)
- E Legg, P Ouboter, M Wright
- Publication Year
- 2015
- Language
- English
- Publishing Institution Webpage
- http://www.wwfguianas.org/
- Data Source Classification
- Program Report
- Research Type
- Secondary
- Research Methodology
- Secondary - PREVIOUS RESEARCH, Secondary - OFFICIAL STATISTICS
- Thematic Tags
- Environmental, Mercury
- Minerals
- Gold
- Region
- Latin America & Caribbean
- Country
- Guyana
- Last Updated
- October 2, 2019