Fish deaths may be related to mercury used in gold mining: Banda Aceh, Indonesia

Gold mining in Aceh, Alue Saya Hill in Geumpang subdistrict in Pidie.

Fish deaths may be related to mercury used in gold mining 

08-08-2014  Hotli Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh | Archipelago

Chemical poisoning is believed to have killed thousands of fish in the Meriam River in Pidie regency and the Teunom River in Aceh Jaya, Aceh, over the last two weeks.

Dead fish have been found floating in the rivers since July 26. The fish, which include kerling or jurlung (Mahseer fish), are popular among locals as they form part of their daily diet.

Aceh Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Agency head Raihana said her agency was still studying samples of the dead fish, but preliminary findings had shown that the fish were poisoned by chemicals that were polluting both rivers.

“We are still conducting laboratory examinations and analysis but the fish certainly died of some form of chemical poisoning,” she said.

She said results of pathology tests on the fish conducted by the Syiah Kuala University’s School of Veterinary Medicine also indicated poisoning.

However, she could not yet determine which chemicals or the source of the pollution of the two rivers, which are linked.

“We have called on people not to consume fish from the two rivers, dead or alive,” Raihana said, adding that residents were also asked not to bathe or wash in, or drink water from the rivers.

Physical examination on the fish showed that the vital organs of the fish were swollen. They also suffered internal bleeding.

“It’s possible they were polluted by heavy metal elements but we are not yet sure what heavy metal it is,” Raihana said, adding that she expected to get the investigation results within a week.

Separately, activists from the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) claimed the pollution might be linked to traditional mining activities conducted by people in the region.

One of the mining sites is located in Geumpang Pidie on the upper reaches of the Meriam River.

“We have warned the administration that if the mining activities continue in a number of areas in Aceh, pollution of rivers would continue to occur,” Walhi Aceh director Muhammad Nur said.

Walhi Aceh noted that pollution of river areas had been occurring since 2009 and some 250,000 hectares of protected areas had been turned into both legal and illegal mining sites.

Muhammad urged the provincial administration to take serious action to counter river pollution in Aceh, especially pollution related to mining activities.

Meanwhile, Aceh Governor Zaini Abdulah called on residents to cease illegal gold-mining activities, especially the use of mercury.

“Mercury usage without control by the authorities could pollute water and endanger both people and the environment,” Zaini said.

The use of mercury in gold mining is illegal in Indonesia because it is toxic to both human health and the environment. But for people who are lured by the lucrative market for gold, mercury is the easiest way to extract it.

Despite the hazards, obtaining mercury for gold mining activities is relatively easy.

In February this year, the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) Indonesia Aceh also asked the administration to immediately address mercury contamination in the province’s rivers.

The NGO asked officials to learn from the Minamata incident in Japan where mercury contamination caused serious problems, with as many as 65,000 people having suffered ill health as of 2012.

Fish deaths may be related to mercury used in gold mining: Banda Aceh, Indonesia

Gold mining in Aceh, Alue Saya Hill in Geumpang subdistrict in Pidie.

Fish deaths may be related to mercury used in gold mining 

08-08-2014  Hotli Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh | Archipelago

Chemical poisoning is believed to have killed thousands of fish in the Meriam River in Pidie regency and the Teunom River in Aceh Jaya, Aceh, over the last two weeks.

Dead fish have been found floating in the rivers since July 26. The fish, which include kerling or jurlung (Mahseer fish), are popular among locals as they form part of their daily diet.

Aceh Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Agency head Raihana said her agency was still studying samples of the dead fish, but preliminary findings had shown that the fish were poisoned by chemicals that were polluting both rivers.

“We are still conducting laboratory examinations and analysis but the fish certainly died of some form of chemical poisoning,” she said.

She said results of pathology tests on the fish conducted by the Syiah Kuala University’s School of Veterinary Medicine also indicated poisoning.

However, she could not yet determine which chemicals or the source of the pollution of the two rivers, which are linked.

“We have called on people not to consume fish from the two rivers, dead or alive,” Raihana said, adding that residents were also asked not to bathe or wash in, or drink water from the rivers.

Physical examination on the fish showed that the vital organs of the fish were swollen. They also suffered internal bleeding.

“It’s possible they were polluted by heavy metal elements but we are not yet sure what heavy metal it is,” Raihana said, adding that she expected to get the investigation results within a week.

Separately, activists from the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) claimed the pollution might be linked to traditional mining activities conducted by people in the region.

One of the mining sites is located in Geumpang Pidie on the upper reaches of the Meriam River.

“We have warned the administration that if the mining activities continue in a number of areas in Aceh, pollution of rivers would continue to occur,” Walhi Aceh director Muhammad Nur said.

Walhi Aceh noted that pollution of river areas had been occurring since 2009 and some 250,000 hectares of protected areas had been turned into both legal and illegal mining sites.

Muhammad urged the provincial administration to take serious action to counter river pollution in Aceh, especially pollution related to mining activities.

Meanwhile, Aceh Governor Zaini Abdulah called on residents to cease illegal gold-mining activities, especially the use of mercury.

“Mercury usage without control by the authorities could pollute water and endanger both people and the environment,” Zaini said.

The use of mercury in gold mining is illegal in Indonesia because it is toxic to both human health and the environment. But for people who are lured by the lucrative market for gold, mercury is the easiest way to extract it.

Despite the hazards, obtaining mercury for gold mining activities is relatively easy.

In February this year, the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) Indonesia Aceh also asked the administration to immediately address mercury contamination in the province’s rivers.

The NGO asked officials to learn from the Minamata incident in Japan where mercury contamination caused serious problems, with as many as 65,000 people having suffered ill health as of 2012.

‘Vuilwaterbassins’ om ‘verdere’ kwikvervuiling kreek Balingsoela en stuwmeer te voorkomen

'Vuilwaterbassins' geen oplossing zolang niet tegen gebruik kwik wordt opgetreden

Porknokkers van hot naar her gestuurd

07-08-2014 Obsession Magazine

Paramaribo - Om verdere kwikvervuiling van de kreek in de buurt van Balingsoela en het stuwmeer te voorkomen, hebben goudzoekers samen met de Commissie Ordening Goud Sector ‘vuilwaterbassins’ aangelegd. Dit is gebeurd door het afdammen van delen van de kreek.

Hoewel het een voorlopige oplossing is, zal het milieu-effect direct merkbaar zijn, verwacht de voorzitter van het Managementteam van de commissie Gerold Dompig. Hij is blij met deze oplossing, die hij samen met de goudzoekers en deskundigen heeft gevonden, zegt hij vandaag, donderdag 7 augustus 2014, in de Ware Tijd.

‘De mensen van Balingsoela waren eerst nogal boos op ons en hadden wegen gebarricadeerd. Maar, gelukkig zijn er samen uitgekomen. Daar ben ik blij mee, ik vind dit echt een successtory.’

Ook het probleem van een groep goudzoekers die vlak bij de hulpdammen van het stuwmeer aan het mijnen was, is opgelost. Zij zijn door de commissie verwijderd en hebben voorlopig een stukje noordelijker een werkgebied aangewezen gekregen dat ligt in het concessiegebied van goudbedrijf IAmGold. Maar, of zij daar kunnen blijven is onzeker.

‘Zij moesten daar echt weg, omdat als die hulpdammen kapot zouden gaan, er water doorheen zou stromen en dat is ook een situatie die niemand wil’, aldus Dompig die gisteren een bezoek bracht aan het dorp.

Overigens vermeldt de Ware Tijd bij een bij het artikel geplaatste archieffoto de volgende tekst: ‘De zoektocht naar goud door porknokkers zal op een iets milieuvriendelijkere manier geschieden.’ Maar, van milieuvriendelijk naar goud zoeken terwijl er nog steeds gebruik wordt gemaakt van kwik kan echter op geen enkele wijze sprake zijn. Pas als kwik werkelijk wordt uitgebannen kan gesproken worden van een succes voor de flora, fauna en lokale binnenlandbewoners. De biodiversiteit ter plekke en de gezondheid van lokale bewoners blijven nu nog steeds in gevaar door de reële kans op kwikvervuiling.

‘Vuilwaterbassins’ om ‘verdere’ kwikvervuiling kreek Balingsoela en stuwmeer te voorkomen

'Vuilwaterbassins' geen oplossing zolang niet tegen gebruik kwik wordt opgetreden

Porknokkers van hot naar her gestuurd

07-08-2014 Obsession Magazine

Paramaribo - Om verdere kwikvervuiling van de kreek in de buurt van Balingsoela en het stuwmeer te voorkomen, hebben goudzoekers samen met de Commissie Ordening Goud Sector ‘vuilwaterbassins’ aangelegd. Dit is gebeurd door het afdammen van delen van de kreek.

Hoewel het een voorlopige oplossing is, zal het milieu-effect direct merkbaar zijn, verwacht de voorzitter van het Managementteam van de commissie Gerold Dompig. Hij is blij met deze oplossing, die hij samen met de goudzoekers en deskundigen heeft gevonden, zegt hij vandaag, donderdag 7 augustus 2014, in de Ware Tijd.

‘De mensen van Balingsoela waren eerst nogal boos op ons en hadden wegen gebarricadeerd. Maar, gelukkig zijn er samen uitgekomen. Daar ben ik blij mee, ik vind dit echt een successtory.’

Ook het probleem van een groep goudzoekers die vlak bij de hulpdammen van het stuwmeer aan het mijnen was, is opgelost. Zij zijn door de commissie verwijderd en hebben voorlopig een stukje noordelijker een werkgebied aangewezen gekregen dat ligt in het concessiegebied van goudbedrijf IAmGold. Maar, of zij daar kunnen blijven is onzeker.

‘Zij moesten daar echt weg, omdat als die hulpdammen kapot zouden gaan, er water doorheen zou stromen en dat is ook een situatie die niemand wil’, aldus Dompig die gisteren een bezoek bracht aan het dorp.

Overigens vermeldt de Ware Tijd bij een bij het artikel geplaatste archieffoto de volgende tekst: ‘De zoektocht naar goud door porknokkers zal op een iets milieuvriendelijkere manier geschieden.’ Maar, van milieuvriendelijk naar goud zoeken terwijl er nog steeds gebruik wordt gemaakt van kwik kan echter op geen enkele wijze sprake zijn. Pas als kwik werkelijk wordt uitgebannen kan gesproken worden van een succes voor de flora, fauna en lokale binnenlandbewoners. De biodiversiteit ter plekke en de gezondheid van lokale bewoners blijven nu nog steeds in gevaar door de reële kans op kwikvervuiling.

The surprising source of most mercury pollution: Gold mining

The surprising source of most mercury pollution: Gold mining 

These gold nuggets were found in southern Oregon, but many illegal "artisanal" miners operate in developing countries like Peru, where there is little or no regulation.

07-08-2014  By Douglas Main, NBC News (USA)

If, as Robert Frost wrote, "nothing gold can stay," then mercury sticks around forever.

Mercury has an uncanny ability to bind to precious metals, and for millennia, people have used it to mine gold and silver. Small-scale, or "artisanal," mining — which makes use of mercury in this way — has recently become the leading source of mercury pollution, several recent studies show.

Mining releases mercury into the air when it is burned off to isolate gold from a chunk of rock or slurry; it also seeps into the soil and rivers from water used in the process and runoff from rainwater, contaminated by materials left behind from mining operations.

Many of these miners operate illegally in developing countries like Peru, where there is little or no regulation, making the practice difficult to quash, said Dave Krabbenhoft, a researcher at the U.S. Geological Survey in Middleton, Wis.

The heavy metal also sticks around for centuries, and is re-emitted from the soil and the water into the atmosphere, and vice versa. As a volatile element, mercury can evaporate at relatively low temperatures, and can then be deposited out of the atmosphere through chemical reactions back to the soil or bodies of water. In fact, most mercury that arrives in the ocean — after falling out of the air or being washed there by rivers — is "legacy" mercury that was already present in the environment, much of it spewed from smokestacks or leeched from gold mines hundreds of years ago, Krabbenhoft tolds LiveScience.

Scientists pay special attention to oceanic mercury because this is where the element is converted into methylmercury, the toxic, carbon-containing form that accumulates in fish; eating seafood is the primary way humans are exposed to the heavy metal, he said. Most methylmercury is produced by microbes in dark conditions, according to a study published earlier this year in the journal Nature Geoscience.

There is some promising news, however: Delegates from countries around the world will meet in Minamata, Japan, in early October to formalize an agreement to reduce mercury pollution in a number of ways. However, that news is tempered by a review published Thursday in the journal Science that suggests mercury levels in the environment will likely continue to rise for decades, said Krabbenhoft, a co-author of the study.

Reducing mercury

Goals of the meeting include closing all mercury mines in signatory countries within 15 years of the convention taking effect. Many consumer products containing mercury are also expected to be phased out, and mercury-containing dental amalgams will be "phased down," according to a Science article accompanying the review. Many of the countries where artisanal mining is a problem — especially those in South America, Southeast Asia and Africa — will also pursue efforts to try to fight this problem, Science reported.

The convention will be held in Minamata, in part, because the city is home to the first and most notorious case of mercury poisoning: 65 years ago, a chemical plant released large quantities of methylmercury in its waste into the ocean, where it accumulated in fish and poisoned thousands. Many died, and many more suffered brain damage, mental retardation, birth defects and other health problems, said Dr. Philippe Grandjean, an epidemiologist at Harvard University who has conducted field work at Minamata and has been involved in drafting the convention's rules. But the source of the so-called "Minamata disease" took years to definitively link to mercury, due, in part, to resistance from the chemical company that released the mercury, and it took even longer to spur international action, Grandjean said. [World's 10 Most Polluted Places]

But Grandjean and others think that the convention — the language of which has already been crafted and written — doesn't go far enough. Many of the agreements are voluntary and qualified with the phrase, "where feasible," the Science article noted.

Grandjean said one of the primary problems is that the convention doesn't do enough to reduce mercury exposures in the short term. In fact, due to the long-lasting nature of the pollutant, "mercury in the environment is going to increase, probably for decades," as the mercury that is already there hangs around, and new mercury — even if in smaller quantities than before — finds its way into the environment, Grandjean told LiveScience.

Worse in the near term

One step people can take to reduce their exposure to mercury, Grandjean said, is to eat fish that accumulate less mercury, such as small and short-lived fish like sardines; methylmercury gradually travels up the food chain and is most prevalent in large, old carnivorous fish, he added. [Is Sushi Safe to Eat?]

"We have already put so much mercury into the ecosystems that it's going to take decades before we can benefit from the U.N. treaty," Grandjean said. "In the meantime, we have to select our seafood prudently."

Grandjean hopes that efforts to reduce small-scale mining will pan out. But the construction of new coal plants, particularly in China, isn't encouraging, since fossil fuels are the second-largest source of mercury pollution, said Krabbenhoft. Climate change may also worsen mercury pollution, as a warmer world is expected to bring more intense floods and wildfires, both of which release mercury bound up in soil and vegetation, he said.

The convention is a good first step, but the persistent nature of mercury means that the situation will get worse before it improves, Grandjean said, though he still has hope that mercury pollution can be curbed.

"Just because we didn't get an optimal treaty doesn't mean we lost," Grandjean said. "We should still regard it as a victory, but there's a lot more work to be done."

Email Douglas Main or follow him on Twitter or Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook or Google+. Article originally on LiveScience.

The surprising source of most mercury pollution: Gold mining

The surprising source of most mercury pollution: Gold mining 

These gold nuggets were found in southern Oregon, but many illegal "artisanal" miners operate in developing countries like Peru, where there is little or no regulation.

07-08-2014  By Douglas Main, NBC News (USA)

If, as Robert Frost wrote, "nothing gold can stay," then mercury sticks around forever.

Mercury has an uncanny ability to bind to precious metals, and for millennia, people have used it to mine gold and silver. Small-scale, or "artisanal," mining — which makes use of mercury in this way — has recently become the leading source of mercury pollution, several recent studies show.

Mining releases mercury into the air when it is burned off to isolate gold from a chunk of rock or slurry; it also seeps into the soil and rivers from water used in the process and runoff from rainwater, contaminated by materials left behind from mining operations.

Many of these miners operate illegally in developing countries like Peru, where there is little or no regulation, making the practice difficult to quash, said Dave Krabbenhoft, a researcher at the U.S. Geological Survey in Middleton, Wis.

The heavy metal also sticks around for centuries, and is re-emitted from the soil and the water into the atmosphere, and vice versa. As a volatile element, mercury can evaporate at relatively low temperatures, and can then be deposited out of the atmosphere through chemical reactions back to the soil or bodies of water. In fact, most mercury that arrives in the ocean — after falling out of the air or being washed there by rivers — is "legacy" mercury that was already present in the environment, much of it spewed from smokestacks or leeched from gold mines hundreds of years ago, Krabbenhoft tolds LiveScience.

Scientists pay special attention to oceanic mercury because this is where the element is converted into methylmercury, the toxic, carbon-containing form that accumulates in fish; eating seafood is the primary way humans are exposed to the heavy metal, he said. Most methylmercury is produced by microbes in dark conditions, according to a study published earlier this year in the journal Nature Geoscience.

There is some promising news, however: Delegates from countries around the world will meet in Minamata, Japan, in early October to formalize an agreement to reduce mercury pollution in a number of ways. However, that news is tempered by a review published Thursday in the journal Science that suggests mercury levels in the environment will likely continue to rise for decades, said Krabbenhoft, a co-author of the study.

Reducing mercury

Goals of the meeting include closing all mercury mines in signatory countries within 15 years of the convention taking effect. Many consumer products containing mercury are also expected to be phased out, and mercury-containing dental amalgams will be "phased down," according to a Science article accompanying the review. Many of the countries where artisanal mining is a problem — especially those in South America, Southeast Asia and Africa — will also pursue efforts to try to fight this problem, Science reported.

The convention will be held in Minamata, in part, because the city is home to the first and most notorious case of mercury poisoning: 65 years ago, a chemical plant released large quantities of methylmercury in its waste into the ocean, where it accumulated in fish and poisoned thousands. Many died, and many more suffered brain damage, mental retardation, birth defects and other health problems, said Dr. Philippe Grandjean, an epidemiologist at Harvard University who has conducted field work at Minamata and has been involved in drafting the convention's rules. But the source of the so-called "Minamata disease" took years to definitively link to mercury, due, in part, to resistance from the chemical company that released the mercury, and it took even longer to spur international action, Grandjean said. [World's 10 Most Polluted Places]

But Grandjean and others think that the convention — the language of which has already been crafted and written — doesn't go far enough. Many of the agreements are voluntary and qualified with the phrase, "where feasible," the Science article noted.

Grandjean said one of the primary problems is that the convention doesn't do enough to reduce mercury exposures in the short term. In fact, due to the long-lasting nature of the pollutant, "mercury in the environment is going to increase, probably for decades," as the mercury that is already there hangs around, and new mercury — even if in smaller quantities than before — finds its way into the environment, Grandjean told LiveScience.

Worse in the near term

One step people can take to reduce their exposure to mercury, Grandjean said, is to eat fish that accumulate less mercury, such as small and short-lived fish like sardines; methylmercury gradually travels up the food chain and is most prevalent in large, old carnivorous fish, he added. [Is Sushi Safe to Eat?]

"We have already put so much mercury into the ecosystems that it's going to take decades before we can benefit from the U.N. treaty," Grandjean said. "In the meantime, we have to select our seafood prudently."

Grandjean hopes that efforts to reduce small-scale mining will pan out. But the construction of new coal plants, particularly in China, isn't encouraging, since fossil fuels are the second-largest source of mercury pollution, said Krabbenhoft. Climate change may also worsen mercury pollution, as a warmer world is expected to bring more intense floods and wildfires, both of which release mercury bound up in soil and vegetation, he said.

The convention is a good first step, but the persistent nature of mercury means that the situation will get worse before it improves, Grandjean said, though he still has hope that mercury pollution can be curbed.

"Just because we didn't get an optimal treaty doesn't mean we lost," Grandjean said. "We should still regard it as a victory, but there's a lot more work to be done."

Email Douglas Main or follow him on Twitter or Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook or Google+. Article originally on LiveScience.

Gold mining devastates Quang Nam’s soil: Vietnam

Gold mining devastates Quang Nam’s soil

 

06-08-2014  VietNam Net

VietNamNet Bridge – In Nam Giang District in the central province of Quang Nam, many gold mining sites are located only several hundreds of meters or kilometers away from the local authorities’ headquarters, forest-ranger stations and border posts.  

“There is no more gold in Nam Giang, so no need to program the gold mining,” said A Lang Cuong, head of the Nam Giang District’s Natural Resources and Environment Sub-department, when describing the illegal gold mining situation in the district.

While Cuong was answering reporters’ questions at the sub-department’s office, several high-capacity excavators, reportedly belonging to a man named Luong The Vinh, were working behind the office and making noise.

Cuong told the reporters that he will issue an order to stop the excavators and the gold mining on the Cai River section in Pa Lanh hamlet behind the office.

However, on July 30, or 10 days after Cuong ordered to stop the mining, reporters could not see any signs showing that the mining had been interrupted.

When reporters contacted Luong The Vinh, a “big guy from the north” as local people called him, they were told that the excavators were still continuing their work on the Cai River section.
Vinh went on to say that the work on the site was being managed by two men, Giang and Tuan, from Ha Nam and Lang Son provinces in the north.

He complained that there is not much gold on the river section, but he still has to continue the exploitation there after accidentally making heavy investments in the project.
A local resident said that before Vinh brought his big excavators to the site, the area was excavated by many other “tycoons”. A lot of deep holes still exist.

Many gold mining sites exist only hundreds of meters or several kilometers from the offices of competent agencies, which have the function of stopping illegal mining.

The bustling gold mining activities can also be seen in Dakpring Commune in the Thanh River Natural Sanctuary.

In late June 2014, when local newspapers repeatedly published the reportages about the illegal mining in the locality, many “tycoons” had to stop their operation. However, it is obvious that the tycoons do not intend to “give up their job”.

The tycoons and gold diggers have left Khe Nhien and Khe Len sites and there are now only empty tents. However, a local resident said if going 15-16 kilometers further, one would see a gold mining site called Petapok.

The gold mining activities are still carried out in the open air, seriously damaging the environment in Nam Giang District. The magnates leading the groups of gold miners in Khe Nhien, Khe Len sites and Pa Lanh Hamlet did not make any secret of their exploitation activities.

A local resident said the magnates can mine gold illegally because they pay “protection money” to the local authorities.

A Lang Cuong denied the “protection money” when meeting reporters, but he could not give reasonable explanations about the existence of the two big excavators, which were damaging the Cai River, just hundreds of meters far away from Cuong’s office.

Dai Doan Ket