The country’s $1 billion gold production sector is under threat from the Minamata Convention that seeks to ban the use of mercury, a major chemical used by artisanal miners to trap the mineral from ore.
The Minamata Convention is calling for the phasing out of new mercury sources and the existing ones due to the hazardous nature of the chemical.
Some of the effects of mercury on humans include nervous system shattering, damage to internal organs such kidneys, contamination of mothers’ breast milk, children born with deformities and failure to control body movements.
No comments:
Post a Comment