Mercury Exposure and Health Problems in Urban Artisanal Gold Mining (UAGM) in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia
Urban artisanal gold mining (UAGM) in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, has been run by a number of urban gold workers with gold jewelry manufacture as its core activity. The wastes generated from goldsmiths’ activities were further processed by the gold smelters to recover fine gold particles. S...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2017-06-01
|
| Series: | Geosciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/7/3/44 |
| _version_ | 1828776322450587648 |
|---|---|
| author | Hasriwiani Habo Abbas Masayuki Sakakibara Koichiro Sera Lukmanul Hakim Arma |
| author_facet | Hasriwiani Habo Abbas Masayuki Sakakibara Koichiro Sera Lukmanul Hakim Arma |
| author_sort | Hasriwiani Habo Abbas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Urban artisanal gold mining (UAGM) in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, has been run by a number of urban gold workers with gold jewelry manufacture as its core activity. The wastes generated from goldsmiths’ activities were further processed by the gold smelters to recover fine gold particles. Smelting gold doré, amalgamation, and burning out the amalgam were the mercury-based gold process usually applied in their work. While working the gold workers are, therefore, potentially exposed to a source of mercury pollution that may cause health problems because of working without proper protection. The aims of this research are to characterize the process of urban artisanal gold mining with the potential mercury exposures during the process, and to assess the health of the gold workers. The results showed that the gold workers had a low educational background, but a relatively high income. The total mercury concentration of gold workers was higher than the control group. They were exposed to intoxicatingly high levels of mercury with the average total mercury concentrations of 6.6 and 10.8 µg/g in the hair of indirect and direct exposed workers, respectively. The health assessment showed that 85% of the gold workers suffered neurological symptoms, such as tremors, and 44%–56% of them experienced restricted fields of vision, slow reflexes, sensory disturbances, unbalanced rigidity, and ataxia. The results also showed that the working years have reasonable correlation with the sum of the positive findings in the 10 neurological symptoms. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T15:56:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7038d4b886bb468c9a365725a71660e3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3263 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T15:56:32Z |
| publishDate | 2017-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geosciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-7038d4b886bb468c9a365725a71660e32022-12-22T00:59:26ZengMDPI AGGeosciences2076-32632017-06-01734410.3390/geosciences7030044geosciences7030044Mercury Exposure and Health Problems in Urban Artisanal Gold Mining (UAGM) in Makassar, South Sulawesi, IndonesiaHasriwiani Habo Abbas0Masayuki Sakakibara1Koichiro Sera2Lukmanul Hakim Arma3Department of Earth Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ehime University, 2-5 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture 790-8577, JapanDepartment of Earth Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ehime University, 2-5 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture 790-8577, JapanCyclotron Research Center, Iwate Medical University, 348-58 Tomegamori, Takizawa, Iwate 020-0137, JapanFaculty of Engineering, Hasanuddin University, Indonesia, Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan Km 10, Makassar 90245, IndonesiaUrban artisanal gold mining (UAGM) in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, has been run by a number of urban gold workers with gold jewelry manufacture as its core activity. The wastes generated from goldsmiths’ activities were further processed by the gold smelters to recover fine gold particles. Smelting gold doré, amalgamation, and burning out the amalgam were the mercury-based gold process usually applied in their work. While working the gold workers are, therefore, potentially exposed to a source of mercury pollution that may cause health problems because of working without proper protection. The aims of this research are to characterize the process of urban artisanal gold mining with the potential mercury exposures during the process, and to assess the health of the gold workers. The results showed that the gold workers had a low educational background, but a relatively high income. The total mercury concentration of gold workers was higher than the control group. They were exposed to intoxicatingly high levels of mercury with the average total mercury concentrations of 6.6 and 10.8 µg/g in the hair of indirect and direct exposed workers, respectively. The health assessment showed that 85% of the gold workers suffered neurological symptoms, such as tremors, and 44%–56% of them experienced restricted fields of vision, slow reflexes, sensory disturbances, unbalanced rigidity, and ataxia. The results also showed that the working years have reasonable correlation with the sum of the positive findings in the 10 neurological symptoms.http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/7/3/44urban artisanal gold mining (UAGM)mercury exposurehealth assessment |
| spellingShingle | Hasriwiani Habo Abbas Masayuki Sakakibara Koichiro Sera Lukmanul Hakim Arma Mercury Exposure and Health Problems in Urban Artisanal Gold Mining (UAGM) in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia Geosciences urban artisanal gold mining (UAGM) mercury exposure health assessment |
| title | Mercury Exposure and Health Problems in Urban Artisanal Gold Mining (UAGM) in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia |
| title_full | Mercury Exposure and Health Problems in Urban Artisanal Gold Mining (UAGM) in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia |
| title_fullStr | Mercury Exposure and Health Problems in Urban Artisanal Gold Mining (UAGM) in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mercury Exposure and Health Problems in Urban Artisanal Gold Mining (UAGM) in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia |
| title_short | Mercury Exposure and Health Problems in Urban Artisanal Gold Mining (UAGM) in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia |
| title_sort | mercury exposure and health problems in urban artisanal gold mining uagm in makassar south sulawesi indonesia |
| topic | urban artisanal gold mining (UAGM) mercury exposure health assessment |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/7/3/44 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hasriwianihaboabbas mercuryexposureandhealthproblemsinurbanartisanalgoldmininguagminmakassarsouthsulawesiindonesia AT masayukisakakibara mercuryexposureandhealthproblemsinurbanartisanalgoldmininguagminmakassarsouthsulawesiindonesia AT koichirosera mercuryexposureandhealthproblemsinurbanartisanalgoldmininguagminmakassarsouthsulawesiindonesia AT lukmanulhakimarma mercuryexposureandhealthproblemsinurbanartisanalgoldmininguagminmakassarsouthsulawesiindonesia |