Mercury is used to refine gold and is a highly poisonous element which can affect the brain, nerve and reproductive systems if inhaled as vapour. Artisanal and small-scale gold miners are the most affected by the exposure to the element which they use almost on a daily basis while separating gold from ore.
Mercury also affects aquatic life because it pollutes water and stays in water for a long time affecting fish which when consumed can affect the whole food chain.
Speaking during an awareness campaign on the dangers of mercury in Sanyati District, EMA district environmental education and publicity officer Mr Knowledge Kabesa urged the artisanal and small-scale miners to devise safer methods of using the element.
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