TAKE MEASURES TO PREVENT CARELESS USE OF MERCURY

What you need to know:

Unfortunately, some unscrupulous gold mine owners put profits before the health of their employees.

Scores of jobless young people are increasingly being lured into the mining industry where the unregulated use of mercury is rife.
There are many chemicals that produce similar results as mercury, which is a poisonous chemical element with many irreversible health effects.
Unfortunately, some unscrupulous gold mine owners put profits before the health of their employees.
While the creation of jobs ranks high in the government’s priorities, the fact remains that thousands youth hit the job market with little or no skills at all.
This compels them to seek quick money, including through working at small-scale mining sites, many of which are unlicensed and unregulated. This is where dangerous chemicals such as mercury are used inappropriately and carelessly.
Exposure to mercury and its compounds is harmful to human health. Foetuses and young people are prone to serious and sometimes deadly effects of the chemical.
Needless to say, economic hardships have been forcing thousands of young men into gold mines, which use unregulated chemicals. Sadly, youth are consigned to an early grave, while their employers laugh all the way to the bank.
No compromise should be entertained in the health sector. Many young people are either temporarily or permanently incapacitated because of the reckless use of mercury and other chemicals.
Obviously, owners of small-scale gold mines know the effects of mercury use, but for profits’ sake, they ignore safety issues and expose the youngsters to deadly substances.
Mercury also goes a long way in affecting the environment in many ways, so the latest call to strictly regulate its use is praiseworthy.
Metallic mercury mainly causes health effects when inhaled as vapour and is absorbed through the lungs.
Symptoms of prolonged exposure include tremors and emotional changes, including mood swings, irritability, nervousness and excessive shyness).
Mining and health ministries should walk the talk on how to defuse this ticking time bomb.
Human health should come first no matter how lucrative a business may be.