Mercury Pollution Abatement in Small Scale Mining

The second phase of a project to assess and find ways to reduce mercury pollution emanating from artisanal/small scale mining in Ghana took place between 2002 and 2004.

A component of the project was the production of visual aids for the mercury pollution abatement sensitization of miners and mining communities being undertaken by the Minerals Commission through its District Officers. In this regard, the Cantata Drama Group was made to produce a film on the need to handle mercury properly through the use of the amalgam retort.

Capacity building involving training and provision of appropriate equipment was included in the second phase of the project. Therefore, a LUMEX Mercury Analyzer for analyzing samples for mercury content was procured by UNIDO for Ghana to ensure that follow-up projects can be fully undertaken locally by Ghanaians. The equipment is located at the Noguchi memorial Institute for Medical Research Legon in Accra.

It is worth noting that the equipment is the first of its kind in West Africa and can provide services for other sectors of the Ghanaian economy.

It is expected that subsequent follow-up activities will include:

 Monitoring the behavioral change and mercury levels in people identified as victims of mercury poisoning.

 Construction of pilot processing centres equipped with mercury retorts to serve as a means of preventing mercury poisoning

Small-Scale Gold Mining: Panning with Mercury