Using mercury in Gold Extract

Using mercury in Gold Extract

Uses workers in gold mines mercury in extracting gold from ore, because method is cheap and easy and therefore described this process in a way the poor in mineral extraction, a method used in some 70 countries and affect the health of those workers who estimated their numbers in the millions, where confirms specialists that mercury is a highly toxic attack machine central nervous which is particularly harmful to children. The rates of heavy exposure to this material can affect the growth of the mind and the kidneys and digestive system, and may lead to delays in physical growth.

And exposed miners who use traditional craft methods of mercury when mix mercury gold ore with their bare hands, and worse, when burning the mixture to extract gold from him, as they are then inhaled mercury vapor.

Says Julian Kibnberg - researcher interested in the rights of the child in the organization Human Rights Watch, which currently is working hard in order to reach a binding international agreement on mercury under the leadership of the United Nations Program for the Environment. The efforts to reduce the use of mercury in gold extraction methods craft is an important issue, but we have also the availability of a powerful approach to public health in order to protect workers traditional artisan mining methods. It must also not be limited to the treaty to address the issue of mercury as an environmental issue, but as one of the health issues right.

According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) is working to extract minerals from the most dangerous professions in the world. There are about almost a million children work in gold mining in Asia, Latin America and Africa, some of them start working at the age of six, have been documented by Human Rights Watch children's exposure to mercury in Mali and Nigeria. The girl said of the 11-year-old, from Mali, told Human Rights Watch: The crude is heated, so we put it a little mercury. Then rub raw mercury hands. Then, when the mercury are attracted to gold, put it on a metal box and نحرقه. When finished, I sell gold to a dealer. I do this every day. I know that mercury is a serious, but I do not know what the face of danger.

There infants are also exposed to mercury when they bring their children with them to workers extract gold and mixture is burned next to the children. As mercury can be transmitted to children through breast-feeding or the fetus during pregnancy.

Under international law, governments are prohibited from allowing children to work using mercury, and this is one of the worst forms of child labor. The law also demands international governments to improve environmental conditions, by preventing and reducing people's exposure to harmful substances, for example.

There are currently no simple alternatives to the use of mercury in gold mining traditional craft methods, but can greatly reduce the quantities, and can improve the methods to control its harmful effects, according to Human Rights Watch. Must be used by workers to extract gold custom containers that contain mercury vapor.

It should also ban harmful practices such as the use of mercury in residential areas. In its report, said Human Rights Watch that he should the treaty requires governments to adopt national action plans mandatory in order to reduce the use of mercury in the manufacture of gold extraction methods craft, and on governments to prepare a response plan for health care related to labor gatherings, particularly children, including the provision of laboratory tests and treatment for those affected by mercury, including the collection of health data, and training of health care workers, and create awareness among health facilities of the dangers of mercury.

Governments should go out plans with specific time frames in order to prevent the use of children and pregnant women to mercury, workers in small-scale and artisanal miners to extract gold. We must include these plans the issue of awareness, and enforcement of child labor laws, and programs to withdraw children from work artisanal gold mines methods in principle and set specific targets to reduce the use of mercury, a strong time plans 5, 10 and 20 yearsv