Mercury Exposure in Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining Communities in Sukabumi, Indonesia

Harianja, Alfonsus H.; Saragih, Grace Serepina; Fauzi, Ridwan; Hidayat, Mochtar; Syofyan, Yunesfi; Tapriziah, Ely Rahmy; Kartiningsih, Sri Endah

doi:10.5696/2156-9614-10.28.201209

Cited by 12 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…The ASGM sector accounts for about 69.7% of the total national Hg released into the environment (about 244 tonnes) in Indonesia (BaliFokus, 2018). Hg concentrations in air, river water, soil and fish around ASGM sites have been investigated in several areas; including Central Kalimantan (Elvince et al, 2008), Gorontalo (Mallongi et al, 2014), North Sulawesi (Limbong et al, 2003), Java (Iqbal and Inoue, 2011) and West Java (Yustiawati et al, 2006;Harianja et al, 2020) in Indonesia. Hg pollution has been investigated in detail in West Java and high Hg concentrations in river water, soil and air near ASGM sites have been reported (Yustiawati et al, 2006;Yasuda et al, 2011;Kono et al, 2012;Kono and Tomiyasu, 2013;Tomiyasu et al, 2013Tomiyasu et al, , 2019.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial distribution and human health risks of mercury in the gold mining area of Mandailing Natal District, Indonesia

ARRAZY,

ADDAI-ARHIN,

JEONG

et al. 2023

EMCR

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Artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is the largest single source of mercury (Hg) emissions globally. In this study, Hg contamination was investigated in rice, vegetables, soil, drinking water and groundwater near ASGM sites in Mandailing Natal District, North Sumatra, Indonesia to assess the human health risk of Hg to the residents. The mean Hg concentrations in the rice and vegetables were 50 ± 33 μg/ kg dw (n = 20) and 2,100 ± 2,500 μg/ kg dw (n = 12), respectively, and that in the paddy soil and farm soil were 5,600 ± 12,000 μg/ kg dw (n = 20) and 19,000 ± 33,000 μg/ kg dw (n = 12), respectively. Hg concentrations in the food, soil and drinking water samples decreased significantly with increasing distance from the amalgam burning facility to the sampling site, suggesting that the burning facility is a major source of Hg in this area. All drinking water samples were below the WHO safe value of Hg, whereas 96% of the vegetable and 82% of rice samples exceeded the safe value from the Indonesian National Standard or the FAO/WHO. The non-cancer risk calculated from the hazard quotients for the rice and vegetables exceeded 1 for children and adults. This paper provides information on Hg contamination in food and the environment in an understudied area, employing health risk assessment to evaluate long-term impacts on human health and offering insights for government decision-making regarding food quality.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial distribution and human health risks of mercury in the gold mining area of Mandailing Natal District, Indonesia

ARRAZY,

ADDAI-ARHIN,

JEONG

et al. 2023

EMCR

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“…In Sukabumi ( Table 6 ), the mercury concentration of river water was found to be below the threshold in 2018 [ 55 , 56 ], but from the results of a recent study, the concentration of mercury was found to have increased to very high levels [ 57 ]. Whereas the mercury concentration in river sediment is high, river water showed a low concentration.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With regard to this potential impact on health, we can see from the map that the mercury concentration in hair, blood, or urine is indicated as being in the “alert” status. There are even studies showing that the mercury content in hair exceeded the designated threshold [ 56 , 72 ]. Miners in the Philippines and in Colombia also showed mercury concentrations in blood, urine, and hair above WHO thresholds [ 1 , 7 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environment Degradation, Health Threats, and Legality at the Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining Sites in Indonesia

Meutia,

Bachriadi,

Gafur

2023

IJERPH

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Artisanal Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) activities, despite offering numerous economic incentives, inflict negative impacts on the environment and public health due to the use of mercury or cyanide. This study aims to compare three ASGM locations in Indonesia in terms of environmental impacts and potential health problems in the community. As part of this research, field surveys at three ASGM illegal locations with different conditions, observations, literature studies, and interviews with the community and stakeholders were conducted. At each of the survey sites, the potential threat to public health due to the use of mercury was determined to be high. Additionally, many of the environmental impacts detected were deemed to have reached a high-alert stage, in some cases even posing a level of extreme danger. Based on these results, it has become clear that a form of mining management which reduces the negative impacts on the surrounding environment and community health is needed. The suggestions put forward in this paper, including the call for greater control of ASGM, may also be applied in other developing countries which suffer from similar problems and conditions.

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“…However, these nding differ from other studies like that ofWanyana et al, (2020) who showed that longer work duration in artisanal gold mining was associated with longer duration of exposure and consequently greater accumulation of Hg in the body. Concerning education level,Wanyana et al, (2020) in Uganda reported that knowledge alone may not always translate to safer occupational health practices, while on the other hand,Harianja et al, (2020) in Indonesia showed that respondents with higher education tended to have lower T-Hg levels.…”

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confidence: 99%

Mercury exposure among artisanal and small-scale gold miners in four gold mining districts in the East Region of Cameroon

Ralph,

Chekoua,

Rodrigue

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is the single largest intentional-release of mercury (Hg) in the world. In Cameroon, there is paucity of data concerning the contribution of ASGM to human mercury contamination. This study aimed at providing new data for a region in Cameroon where ASGM is practiced, through an assessment of the concentration of total mercury (T-Hg) in hair as a function of occupational exposure, and investigating symptoms related to Hg toxicity. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was employed involving 60 gold miners from four gold mining districts: Batouri, Kette, Ngoura and Bétaré-Oya. Questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic data, nature of work processes and symptoms of Hg toxicity. Scalp hair samples were drawn from all 60 respondents and analysis for total mercury (T-Hg) in hair was done via a milestone DMA-80 Mercury Analyzer. The results show that males (86.7%) were generally represented than females (13.3%). The minimum, maximum and mean concentrations of Hg in hair of miners across the four districts was 0 µg/g, 8.97 µg/g and 2.09 ± 1.84 µg/g respectively. Over three-quarters (71.7%) of the miners had T-Hg in hair above the occupational toxic threshold of 1 µg/g set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), also identified as 66.7% in the “alert level” and 5% as “high” according the German Human Biomonitoring (HBM) Commission. The factors affecting the concentration of mercury in hair according to a multiple linear regression model (R2 = 0.400 and p = 0.03) were living in Bétaré-Oya, younger age, male sex, burning of amalgam, and increased number of working days per week. According to the same model (R2 = 0.076 and p = 0.940), the symptoms associated with mercury exposure were unusual tiredness, excessive sleeping, dizziness and visual difficulties. ASGM in the east region of Cameroon, therefore, is significantly contributing to Hg contamination in humans as a result of occupational exposures to Hg, and there is urgent need for interventions to mitigate human exposure, especially as adverse health effects cannot be excluded following long-term exposures.

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Mercury Exposure in Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining Communities in Sukabumi, Indonesia

Cited by 12 publications

References 36 publications

Spatial distribution and human health risks of mercury in the gold mining area of Mandailing Natal District, Indonesia

Spatial distribution and human health risks of mercury in the gold mining area of Mandailing Natal District, Indonesia

Environment Degradation, Health Threats, and Legality at the Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining Sites in Indonesia

Mercury exposure among artisanal and small-scale gold miners in four gold mining districts in the East Region of Cameroon

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