Dear Editor,
There was, on Channel News Asia, a recent documentary based on Singapore and covering the serious dangers of using mercury in gold mining. It was very saddening to see how the smaller gold miners and their families were seriously affected by this highly toxic metal.
The recent tragedy at the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the concerns uncovered with mercury being in the blood of scores of our workers should have been a wake-up call for all of us: that we must find another way to safely extract the gold needed to support the development of the economy.
It is said that mercury eventually enters the food production cycle, and does not break down in the environment, but instead enters the water cycle when it is burned and becomes a gas. It is therefore extremely important that we move towards banning its use in the gold mining industry. There are many healthier alternatives, from panning to magnets, that can be implemented to effectively protect miners and extract the gold. The safety of our citizens must become and remain the top priority for our nation.
Our Amerindian brothers and sisters are at the highest risk of being exposed to the harmful effects of this poison being used to mine the land for gold. The country is already being enriched by the extraction of oil, and we should not become greedy to the detriment of ourselves and our people. The pace of gold extraction should be in sync with the safe methods of mining. There is no longer an urgent economic gap that needs to be filled by the sale of gold.
The country can also afford to provide a monetary incentive to miners, to ensure they do not suffer any economic hardship due to the transition to safer mining practices which would allow them to safeguard their and their families’ health while earning an honest living in a safe environment.
CRG looks forward to the current Ali Administration implementing, in the gold mining industry, the necessary regulations and reforms that would ban the use of mercury in the industry, improve the required safe work practices, and provide the financial package and/or jobs needed for the miners to not suffer any economic setbacks as we transition to a safer gold mining industry.
With concern,
Jamil Changlee
