A study conducted by Katy Ashe was done in 2012 to show the
threat that mercury contamination poses to the human population in the Madre de
Dios region of Peru. The Madre de Dios region is responsible for approximately
70% of Peru’s illegal gold production. The study estimated that there could
potentially be up to 30,000 illegal gold miners operating in the Madre de Dios
region. This is partially because permits are difficult to obtain and are not
often enforced. Many miners choose to avoid the hassle and mine off the books.
These unregulated miners have a poor understanding of proper mercury handling
techniques and are responsible for elevated mercury levels in the region.
Hair samples were collected from men and women in mining
zones as well as in the capitol city of Puerto Maldonado. In addition to the
hair samples, each participant was also asked to complete a brief survey that
included their sex, age, gender, location, length of time at that location, and
information on their fish consumption.
The results of the study showed that location, gender, and
fish consumption were all significant factors of mercury levels while age and
the length of time at the location were not significant indicators of abnormal
mercury levels.
As expected, the samples taken from the mining zones were
significantly higher than those of Puerto Maldonado. Men had the highest levels
of mercury in both demographics. This is probably due to the fact that the men
are more likely to have had direct contact with mercury. When factoring in
location, the study showed that 11% of those surveyed in the mining camps had
unhealthy levels of mercury as opposed to 6% of those living in the city.
Figure
1. Mercury levels in hair samples by location of residence and gender. Red line
indicates the level of mercury in human hair considered
to start unhealthy symptoms by WHO (6 mg Hg/grams of dry hair) [13]. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0033305.g001
Considering the amount of fish that the people participating
in the survey consumed on a regular basis the study concluded that the rates of
unhealthy mercury levels were 6% and 7% for the lower levels of fish intake
(fewer than 12 fish per month) and 11% for those who ate more than 12 fish per
month.
Figure
2. Total mercury levels in hair samples by fish consumption levels. Red line
indicates the level of mercury considered unhealthy by WHO [13].
This
study supports that there are high levels of mercury contamination in areas
prevalent to mining. Another step would be to assess possible symptoms in those surveyed. This is difficult to do since people can be wary of providing information on themselves beyond just a general survey. More studies like this one are necessary in order to draw
public attention to the issue of mercury contamination and the dangers that mercury presents not only for the environment but to humankind as well.
Citation: Ashe K (2012) Elevated Mercury Concentrations in Humans of Madre de Dios, Peru. PLoS ONE 7(3): e33305. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0033305
These kinds of research studies always make me slightly upset because there are people who do not care about the consequences of their actions because they can make money. Whether it's a lack of education about mercury in these locations or it's the failure of the government to regulate activities appropriately something has to be done! Even companies who purchase the gold from these miners could take action by boycotting deals with illegal gold miners. I think it's very difficult for people who live in areas like this because their main source of nutrition and food is fish. I only hope that after this research study the results somewhat inspired people to do the right thing to save their people from mercury contamination.
ReplyDeleteWow I did not know they can check for mercury from a person’s hair. Also, I knew that fish consumption and location play a significant role in the amount of mercury level in a person’s body but I didn’t think that gender mattered…do you know why that is? I also thought that age and time at the location would matter the most because of how other chemicals can affect the body especially time at the location…so it doesn’t matter if someone has been working there for over 4 years versus someone who has worked there for a few months?
ReplyDeleteThe gender factor is likely due to the fact that in general, men are the ones who are handling the mercury directly while mining. Also, women's metabolism is typically higher so they could be eliminating the mercury at a faster rate than the men. According to this study time at the location did not show a significant difference. It is good to keep in mind though that this is only one study, more would be needed to substantiate the findings.
DeleteHey Krista,
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post. I have a lot of friends from Peru so this story was definitely interesting for me. As I was reading along I noticed you had great statistics and I commend you for having graphs for us to see as it made it easier to understand with a visual in front of you. As for the story itself, I never knew that the Madre de Dios region was solely responsible for 70% of illegal gold production. Thats crazy! This reminds me on our reading by Carson and how in order to make a quick buck you not only people humans at risk but the environment as well.
Thank you. I find the graphs helpful as well. One quick note on your comment, I wanted to clarify that the Madre de Dios region is thought to be responsible for 70% of Peru's Illegal gold production, not for the world's gold production as a whole. Approximately 20% of the Amazon Rainforest lays within Peru's borders which is a pretty large chunk. I chose to focus on Peru mainly due to the fact that I spent the summer there studying primates and witnessed first-hand not only the damaging effects of mining on the environment but also several mining camps as well.
DeleteHey krista,
ReplyDeleteI really like your post, especially because I am origanilly from Peru. I knew about the illegal gold production, and if I remenber right the goverment has not be able to stop because the corruption on the police force and also that citizen of that region usually vote for regional president that support this illegal act adducing that this bring money to poor people. I really hope that this illegal act stop soon because these people are not only killing themself but they also killing the nature and the animals that live there
Hi Krista,
ReplyDeleteI was always told that I should not eat too much canned tuna as the fish contains a lot of mercury. I Never knew that mining also increased mercury levels. I guess the combination of mining, diet, and gender plays a significant role in mercury levels. Which, by the way, what are the effects and consequences of having a high mercury level?