According to the Inter Press Service (IPS), in a bid not to lose out on this lucrative industry, Guyanese authorities are opposing a proposal at the United Nations (UN) level to impose a legally binding ban on the use of mercury in the global gold mining industry.
Officials from the Caribbean country are said to be lobbying during the three-day UN Environment Programme (UNEP) review conference in Bogota, Colombia, which ends today, for a grace period before having to comply with anticipated treaty restrictions on the use of mercury to recover gold.
Small-scale miners add mercury to pans of gold-rich ore, where the element clings to the gold and sinks to the bottom. According to the IPS, studies show that up to 15 million miners around the world are exposed to dangerous levels of mercury in this way, along with others in the industry like jungle shopkeepers and jewellers.
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