The use of mercury in mining communities causes permanent brain damage, seizures, vision and hearing impairments, still birth, deformity among babies and delayed childhood development, the Executive Director of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mr John Kingsley Krugu, has cautioned.
He has, therefore, urged small-scale miners to stop applying methods that involve the use of mercury and adopt modern techniques to protect human lives and preserve the environment.
Mr Krugu, who made the call at a dialogue organised by the EPA under the Africa Environmental Health and Pollution Management (AEHPM) programme on Tuesday in Accra, reminded the public that mercury contaminated water bodies, and caused kidney malfunctioning and stunted growth.
The event brought together representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSEMEs) and the EPA.
Mr Krugu said the AEHPM programme was aimed at reducing exposure to mercury and unintentional Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) through mining for better environmental, human, and animal health outcomes.
“Millions of miners, infants, children, women of child bearing age and breast-feeding women who work or live in Artisanal Small- Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) communities are at the risk of mercury exposure,” he said.
Mr Krugu said that mercury did not only impact those who use it, but other members of society, and if not checked would lead to high mercury-related health problems in mining communities.
He noted that the country had instituted a number of interventions, including the ratification of international conventions and management laws, to deal with e-waste and the chemical pollution menace.
However, Mr Krugu said there were still gaps in expected outcomes and efforts to reduce the impact of e-waste and mercury use in artisanal and small-scale mining activities on human health and the environment.
The Country Director of the World Bank, Mr Robert R. Taliercio, said the uncontrolled use and exposure to mercury in artisanal and small-scale mining communities remained a worry to the government and the international community.
He said it was estimated that 23% of deaths were as a result of mercury pollution through the activities of small scale miners, adding that there was the need for a conscious effort to curb the situation.
“Exposure to mercury and other hazardous chemical pollutants is not only a national threat but a regional and global menace,” he said.
BY AGNES OWUSU
