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Mercury poisoning at GGMC compound…60 staff tested with above normal levels
Gabriel Lall, Chairman of the Board of Directors of GGB (right) speaks with the media with General Manager of the Gold Board, Eondrene Thompson.
…Report shows no cause for immediate concern
Senior officials of the Guyana Gold Board (GGB) along with Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman yesterday allayed fears about unhealthy levels of mercury emanating from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) compound on Brickdam.
During a press conference hosted at Duke Lodge, Georgetown, it was revealed that the GGB commissioned Kaizen Environmental Services (Guyana) Limited to conduct Air Quality Monitoring at the board’s laboratory on the compound and its environs.
“The reports are comforting,” declared Gabriel Lall, Chairman of the Board of Directors of GGB.
He stated that the Gold Board does not use mercury in its laboratories, but mercury emissions emanate during the sweltering process from the gold which is bought from companies.
The report which has been released to the public, shows that Kaizen conducted tests at 10 locations on the compound on March 28th and found that the mercury levels at all locations were within the United States Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s eight-hour permissible exposure limit.
Minister Trotman shared that of the 130 staff between GGMC and the Gold Board, 60 showed signs of above normal levels of mercury. He explained that this might not be related to the gold board operations as persons who eat a lot of fish tend to have a higher level of mercury in their body.
The Minister assured that these persons will be monitored to ascertain whether the high levels are as a result of the emissions.
“I am proposing that an expert’s review of the functions of the Gold Board’s lab, to see how it can be made to better function,” Trotman stated.
Trotman said while the report from the company is reassuring, the health and wellbeing of the staff of the Guyana Gold Board and residents who work and live in the neighbourhood remain paramount, and steps will be taken to ensure that such an incident does not occur in the future.
General Manager of GGB, Eondrene Thompson disclosed that they have also consulted with Activation Lab, a local company who will also be assisting in the monitoring.
Lall said the government will be taking all necessary steps to protect those exposed to mercury. This includes further tests from a foreign company.
“What we are doing is over-compensating. This is a continuous process for us, and we want everybody to know that we are going above and beyond to put layers and layers of this inspection, of testing, results; and that we have got a comfort level to an extreme degree,” he stated.
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