Gold Mining – Guyana
By Kiana Wilburg
Sep 12, 2021 –Kaieteur News – In recognition of the oftentimes irreversible effects of methylmercury, the Government of Guyana, almost eight years ago, signed onto and ratified the Minamata Convention. That international treaty is designed to protect human life as well as the environment from the release of methylmercury and its compounds during gold mining activities.
In fact, the PPP/C and APNU+AFC had made pledges and implemented several initiatives since 2013 to phase out the use of methylmercury, one of the most toxic forms of mercury that is used in the gold sector particularly by artisanal and small miners. In spite of their best efforts to mitigate the effects or impacts of this chemical on human life and the environment, studies over the years have uncovered alarming levels of mercury poisoning/contamination in Indigenous people and their environs which are in proximity to mining camps that make use of the harmful chemical. Continue reading
