Mercury Contamination in Cambodia
Mercury Contamination in Cambodia
Mercury is used by gold miners in rural areas of Cambodia to extract gold in a simple fashion. The high price of gold has resulted in a ten-fold increase in mining activity in four years. The miners are worried about their health but there is little that can be done quickly to alleviate their problems. Mercury is not their biggest health concern. The biggest problem is the potential for a mineshaft collapse. Their isolation limits any medical analysis or treatment. Some miners were supplied with water filters that stopped their diarrhea. Providing alternative water supplies is likely the most effective treatment.
One of our recent studies showed that people located in a sample drainage basin with gold mines, on average, had more mercury in their hair (4.4 ug/g) than those living along the northern portion of the Mekong River (3.4 ug/g). Males, on average, exhibited higher mercury in their hair than women (5.2 vs 3.1 ug/g, respectively). Individuals had as much as 23 ug/g of mercury in their hair. While mercury levels in hair and fish were elevated and gold mines were one source, it appeared that there could be other possible sources, particularly in urban “hotspot” areas. One possible source that was identified in our subsequent study was skin whitening creams; 27% of creams sampled from local markets had potential toxic levels of mercury, with the highest level measured at 12,590 ug/g. Project partners in these studies included Resource Development International – Cambodia, Environment Canada, UC Davis, and Chiang Mai University.
Images related to this project can be viewed at http://view.buffalostate.edu/main.php?g2_itemId=36293