Expnote Mercury Awareness

8/2/2019 Expnote Mercury Awareness

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INTERNATIONAL WATERS

EXPERIENCE NOTES

Education, Awareness and Technologyto Prevent Mercury Pollution from

Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining

Abstract: The Global Mercury Project (GMP) was implemented in order to begin a global response toaddress environmental impacts resulting from mercury released by the Artisanal and Small-scale Mining(ASM) sector. The relatively poor knowledge or involvement of governments within the sector hamperssustainability initiatives. The awareness campaign provided education about the hazards of ASMactivities, with a focus on mercury, to local and national citizens in pilot project countries. Key to thisimpact was also the diversity of community members included within the programs such as miners,millers, buyers, communal leaders, and food and beverage vendors. The combination of assessment and

educational phases of the project allowed us to learn a great deal about the life cycle of mercury withinartisanal mining. This project also highlighted the importance of locally appropriate technologies. Thoughnot without failures, some of the key achievements in the GMP came about because of the ability to bringtogether health information, technological transfer and promotional activities. This project and the specificactivities outlined in this experience note associated with education and awareness-raising through anintegrated approach are significant in that they present methods with proven ability to help.

Ludovic Bernaudat ([email protected])UN Industrial Development Organization (Global Mercury Project)

http://www.iwlearn.net/experience 2009-04


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Education, Awareness and Technology to Prevent Mercury Pollutionfrom Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining

Experience of the GEF - sponsored

GEF-UNDP-UNIDO: Removal of Barriers to the Introduction of Cleaner

Artisanal Gold Mining and Extraction Technologies (Global MercuryProject)

GEFID: 1223

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Global Mercury Project (GMP) wasimplemented in order to begin a global responseto address environmental impacts resulting frommercury released by the Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) sector. Six keytransboundary river/lake basins in developingcountries were selected: Brazil, Indonesia, the

Lao People Democratic Republic (PDR), Sudan,Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. It is estimated that inthese areas artisanal gold mining directlyinvolves nearly 2 million people and supportsmore than 10 million others.

This project was implemented by the UnitedNations Development Programme (UNDP), withthe United Nations Industrial DevelopmentOrganisation (UNIDO) acting as the executiveagency. The project was extended from itsoriginal timeline to run for a total of five years,ending in 2007. The project included seven

objectives summarised as follows: a) assessingpollution from ASM; b) introducing cleanertechnologies; c) regulatory development; d)environmental and health monitoringprogrammes; e) capacity building of localassessment laboratories; f) development ofcountry policies for ASM; g) resultsdissemination and future funding.

This note does not address all activities withinthe project, but instead focuses on those thathelped increase awareness of mercury pollutionand health issues, especially within miner

populations. For information on some otheractivities, please see the experience note onPolicy and Governance Measures to PreventMercury Pollution from Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining.

The project activities in question aimed toincrease knowledge and awareness of theenvironmental and health impacts associatedwith use of mercury among miners, government

institutions, and the public at large. This wasbolstered by the introduction and demonstrationof cleaner and more efficient technologies thatminimise negative environmental impacts whileimproving earnings, health, and safety. Thetraining included a train-the-trainers initiative,multiplication of training, and educationprograms. Awareness campaigns were utilisedto improve local and international awareness of

mercury and more general ASM issues.

THE EXPERIENCE

Issue

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining is largelydriven by poverty and provides an importantsource of livelihood for between 10-15 millionpeople. Yet it is also one of the major globalsources of mercury contamination. Mercury isused to recover gold from ores in a processknown as amalgamation. As well as losses to

air and soils, ASM activities can contaminaterivers, lakes and their fish communities withmercury, both locally and on a global scale. Thehealth of the miners and other people livingwithin mining areas is adversely affectedthrough inhalation of mercury vapour, directcontact with mercury, and the consumption ofmercury contaminated fish. Critically, whenmercury enters water streams, it is subject tooxidation and methylation, leading to itstransformation to the highly poisonous methyl-mercury form. With the combined effects ofwater transport and bioaccumulation, mercury

affects not only miners, but distant communities.

Several features of ASM presented challengesfor any potential intervention. First among theseis the transient nature of miners, who oftenmigrate to sites during particular seasons, andmove to others because of various reasons.Geographical and terrain considerations makeaccess by project workers difficult. Therelatively poor knowledge or involvement of


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governments within the sector hamperssustainability initiatives. Emerging threatscomplicates these ever-present challenges.Entry into the industry by new artisanal minershas, and is likely to continue to increase due toincreases in the gold price.

Addressing the Issue

After an initial diagnostic phase that studiedenvironmental contamination of mercury andassociated problems at field sites, the secondphase centred on education and awareness wasbegun. This was highly focussed upon reducingor eliminated the use and release of mercuryfrom ASM. The training program constituted themain activity and included segments on how toincrease the recovery of gold, how to recyclemercury, how to use retorts, impacts of mercuryon health and the environment, mercury in the

gold shops, how to protect water bodies, how todiversify the miners rural economy, how tolegalize a mining site, tailings and wastemanagement, refilling old pits, pools for mercuryamalgamation, use of latrines and mosquitonets, how to filter water, garbage disposal, andreforestation of degraded areas. The awarenesscampaign provided education about the hazardsof ASM activities, with a focus on mercury, tolocal and national citizens in pilot projectcountries. Awareness on preventative andcorrective actions for healthy living wereincluded. These encompassed aspects directly

related to artisanal gold mining but also sometopics affecting every communities in rural areasof developing countries: sexually and vectortransmitted diseases (AIDS, malaria),sanitation, childrens education The fieldimplementation of the project was anchored onthe Transportable Demonstration Unit (TDU)which existed to bring as one package themessages on new and clean technologies,health and environment.

RESULTS AND LEARNING

The greatest success of these project activitieswas the increase in miner and generalcommunity knowledge about the dangers ofmercury use. This objective was achieved in allcountries where the project was implemented.Though it was found often necessary todemonstrate the economic savings of introducedtechnologies and alternate practices, widerunderstanding of mercurys health andenvironmental issues provides an essential

underpinning. Key to this impact was also thediversity of community members included withinthe programs such as miners, millers, buyers,communal leaders, and food and beveragevendors.

The combination of assessment and educationalphases of the project allowed us to learn a greatdeal about the life cycle of mercury withinartisanal mining. By studying and then workingwith miners to address mercury use, much waslearned about environmental losses due towhole-ore amalgamation, open air burningwithout retorts, concentrate amalgamation andaccidental losses. It is only by fullyunderstanding these processes thattechnologies and other mechanisms to combatmercury loss can be designed.

This project has had some important impacts on

indirect actors and the wider issues of ASM.More than sixty publications have arisen fromthe project including items such as a manual fortraining artisanal and small-scale miners. Onthe basis of the Environmental and Health

Assessment, the project published a protocolthat is now the benchmark for assessmentworldwide (e.g. UNEP, WHO projects). Thefindings of these studies have also helped shapethe development of the next phase of the GMP one that places more emphasis onimplementation strategies that reduce the useand release of mercury from ASM.

The GMP was very proactive and unique inintegration of health, ecological, technical,economic and policy concerns in communitydevelopment. The sustainability of such a broadand inclusive approach is itself very challengingand not without concern. For example, ourexperience showed that the presentation ofhealth messages by non-health personnel isvery dangerous. Yet our experience showedhow some level of integration is necessary forsuch a complex issue that involves many actorsfrom miners to traders to government.

This project also highlighted the importance oflocally appropriate technologies. Methods usedinclude the establishment of communal newtechnology centers (e.g. communal retort inLAO, processing centers in Tanzania). The GMPalso identified and trained local manufacturers,to produce beneficial ASM equipment andpollution-prevention technologies (Tanzania,Indonesia and Sudan).


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REPLICATION

In such a project where multiple issues of health,livelihoods, poverty, regulation, environment andeconomics intersect, it becomes challenging todeal with all of these in an integrated way. Yetthis integration is an essential feature that willallow the success and importantly, thesustainability of any future projects. Though notwithout failures, some of the key achievementsin the GMP came about because of the ability tobring together health information, technologicaltransfer and promotional activities. It isrecommended that to replicate such a project,an integrated human-centred, rural developmentapproach is used.

As with many global projects, it is a challenge toreconcile differences in implementation and

administration across different countries. Butthis is particularly the case with artisanal goldmining where technologies, techniques andsocieties create diverse sets of circumstances inwhich to operate. In any replication it istherefore important both to consider the need foralternative approaches, as well as the creationof clear and simple avenues to share learningsand disseminate good practice. Similarly, it isrecommended that the new technologies arewell investigated and tested under the differinglocal conditions of the project sites.

The nature of legislative processes dictatesprolonged interaction with government. Thekinds of regulatory changes needed to alloweffective fieldwork sometimes do not occur untiltoo late. Therefore it is recommended that theseissues be dealt with right from the beginning ofthe project. What ended up becoming a majorcomponent of the project extension (Policy andGovernance), the subject of the otherExperience Note from this project, was basedupon this realization.

The presence of the majority of artisanal gold

mining sites in rural and poorly serviced areascreated significant challenges for projectimplementation. This impacted many facets ofthe project, including education and awarenesscampaigns, and the use of common facilities.The GMP approach found some success usingthe TDUs and regional training centres. It isrecommended that replication projects utilisesimilar measures to allow for geographical anddistribution challenges, and on the basis of our

experience, do so starting from early in theproject cycle.

The introduction of new technologies, andchanged practices of artisanal miners requires adifficult feat - long-lasting cultural change. Suchchange is premised upon sustainable learningprograms, especially in this industry, which ischaracterized by highly transient miners and thecontinual entry of new miners. Rising goldprices attract more miners to the sector whowere not aware of the best practicesdemonstrated by the project. Whilst one-offprojects and miner training helps, integration ofcontinuous engagement through ever-presentinstitutions such as local government or miningdepartment extensions should be considered.

SIGNIFICANCE

ASM is a major cause of environmentalpollution, particularly with regards extractionchemicals such as mercury. Its application inproximity to significant transboundary waterresources, right across the developing world,makes it a threat. The propensity for watertransport of mercury, chemical transformationand bioaccumulation make it a threat not only tothe physical and long-term environmental healthof miners and their surroundings, but the healthand environments of the global community. Inshort, the issue is significant because of its

global reach and ability to affect futuregenerations. Currently, ASM is one of the largestanthropogenic sources of mercury emission tothe environment.

This project and the specific activities outlined inthis experience note associated with educationand awareness-raising through an integratedapproach are significant in that they presentmethods with proven ability to help. Whilst thisproject was only a beginning of limited scale andreach, and not without failings in implementationand effectiveness, it highlights some important

learning about how to proceed.

REFERENCES

Further information and a number of usefuldocuments can be obtained from the projectwebsite (http://www.globalmercuryproject.org/).

Alternatively contact can be made with UNIDOprogramme manager:


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Ludovic Bernaudat (Mr.)Water Management [email protected]: +43.1.26026.3648

KEYWORDS

Mercury Mining Awareness Technology

The Global Environment Facility (GEF)International Waters Experience Notes serieshelps the transboundary water management(TWM) community share its practicalexperiences to promote better TWM.Experiences include successful practices,approaches, strategies, lessons, methodologies,

etc., that emerge in the context of TWM.

To obtain current IW Experience Notes or tocontribute your own, please visithttp://www.iwlearn.net/experience or [email protected].

Expnote Mercury Awareness

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