Introducing new technologies for abating mercury pollution caused by informal gold mining operations in Tanzania
Mercury is one of the most toxic substances in the world causing significant damage to the environment and to the health of people who handle it. Mercury is absorbed by the human organism through drinking water, food or breathed air. Mercury is used extensively by artisanal gold miners in Tanzania . Their activities provide income to 300,000 to 500,000 people; a great proportion of the miners being women. For every gram of gold recovered, about two to five grams of mercury are released into the environment - often resulting in the death of men, women and children and in a permanently ruined habitat. The relevant simplicity and effectiveness of the technology, known as amalgamation, mask its dangers. This process can be improved with procedures using inexpensive and highly efficient devices which can be manufactured locally at low cost. The objective of the programme is to replace mercury amalgamation with new technology while improving the income of the miners through more efficient recovery and to provide governments policy advice on the regulation of artisanal gold mining with due consideration for gender issues.
The primary target beneficiaries will be artisanal miners - men and women alike. The secondary beneficiaries will be the Government, local institutions and the society at large due to the very nature and extent of the damage caused by artisanal mining. The activities will mainly be directed towards the introduction of safe and high-yield extraction methods that could preempt the use of mercury - i.e. introduction of production of equipment for the new technology and its dissemination; training of local manufacturers; training of miners, especially women, for competitive alternatives to mercury amalgamation; awareness creation on the protection of the environment as well as policy advice to governments and local institutions.
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Additional Info
- Author(s)
- C Beinhoff, F Ugbor,
- Publication Year
- 1997
- Language
- English
- Publishing Institution Webpage
- https://www.unido.org/
- Data Source Classification
- Program Report
- Research Type
- Both
- Research Methodology
- Primary - SURVEY, Secondary - PREVIOUS RESEARCH, Secondary - OFFICIAL STATISTICS
- Thematic Tags
- Environmental, Mercury
- Minerals
- Gold
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Country
- Tanzania
- Last Updated
- October 6, 2019