The statement said the danger of mercury exposure was not limited to miners, as the entire community could be exposed to it through emissions into the ambient air in urban and semi-urban areas, where gold shops were located and through the disposal of mercury into water bodies, leading to contamination of aquatic life. “This practice directly affects miners who may inhale mercury vapor and absorb the substance into the body through contact, which can cause severe health challenges,” it said.

It said miners conventionally used mercury as a separating agent to extract gold particles from other materials. The statement said the distribution of mineral processing equipment was part of the programmes ongoing efforts to reduce mercury usage and promote safe working environments. It said the Dakete mine received an ST-30 shaking table upgrader, while each of the other five mines received ‘Gold Kacha’ gold concentrators, as well as ‘Gold Konka’ upgraders, fabricated by Appropriate Processing Technology (APT) in South Africa. The support is on the theme: “Promoting Mercury-free Mining in Ghana” project, with funding from the United States Department of State.Ī statement issued in Accra by Abdul Fatah Maigah Mahama, Communications Manager for Ghana said the selected mines were Agyapa Ye, Benvico, Okutey, Bazuri, Dakete, and Beeva in the Ashanti, Western and Western North regions. Solidaridad and Pact have distributed six mercury-free mineral processing equipment to selected artisanal and small-scale gold mines across the country. Ghana National Association of small-scale Miners

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