Latest update November 29th, 2024 1:00 AM
Gold Board burns amalgam at Pure Diamond Lab
Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman
By Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell
“Right now, there is no gold being burnt at Brickdam. We are using the services of a dealer and we thank that dealer…I can assure you that no burning will ever occur there again.”
That is what Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman told the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources when he appeared before it yesterday.
The Committee is chaired by People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament (MP) Odinga Lumumba.
Lumumba told Trotman that the Committee is very concerned about the plight of those workers who were affected by mercury emissions at the Guyana Gold Board lab at Brickdam.
Trotman, and his junior Minister, Simona Broomes, assured the Committee that the government handled the matter as best as it could. Trotman said that proper medical treatment is being extended to the affected workers too.
While Trotman told the Committee that the State is using the facility of a private dealer, he did not reveal the identity of that dealer.
This newspaper has found out that the gold is being burnt at Pure Diamond in Bel Air.
After the meeting, the media asked Trotman if he can say which private facility is being used. He promptly responded, “no.” However, he said that the government is not paying the dealer.
It has been reported to this newspaper that the Pure Diamond facility has been utilized by the government for weeks now.
Trotman said that the facility which is being used has been certified safe and is about the best available.
Kaieteur News asked Trotman if the government is not worried about the implications of having a regulatory body (the Gold Board) use the facility of a private dealer. Trotman was also asked if it is not deemed incestuous.
He said, “It has been raised but we are satisfied. We have our staff there but it is a temporary situation. We are actively scouring a few sites, this is only temporary.”
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