UN, Ban Toxics project to stop mercury use in mining

By Angelica Pago

Government agencies band together with BAN Toxics and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in preparing for a project that hopes to eliminate mercury use in artisanal and small scale-mining in the country.

The Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-EMB), in partnership with UNIDO, BAN Toxics, and the Department of Health (DOH) are now working on a project dubbed as ‘Improve the Health and Environment of Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) Communities in the Philippines by Reducing Mercury Emission’.

The primary aim of the project is to strengthen national capacity to manage mercury by establishing a formal national institution and training of key stakeholders.

Representatives from the DENR-EMB, DOH, local government units and small-scale miners groups attended the project’s inception workshop held last August 28-29, 2013 at the BSA Twin Towers in Ortigas, Pasig City.

“We fully support the Philippines’ efforts to address the issue of mercury use in small-scale mining. This project is a testament to the efforts being undertaken by the Philippines in taking a lead in solving this difficult and complex issue,” said UNIDO representative Ludovic  Bernaudat.

Through the project, a national ASGM institution will be established to provide training and certification for miners aiming to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of mercury in their practice.

The project will also develop and deliver health education, techniques, and technology training programs, including early recognition and identification of mercury poisoning at the community level.

“The beneficiaries of this project are the communities around small-scale mining areas. If we are able to change the mining methods, the approach, and bring a common vision and goal among the miners and the community, BAN Toxics and its partners would have secured a strong measure of success and pave the way for a long-term solution to the problem,” said BAN Toxics executive director Atty. Richard Gutierrez during the project’s inception workshop.

According to a study conducted by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), ASGM is the single largest mercury emitting sector in the Philippines, having been recognized to discharge about 70 metric tons or more than 30 percent of the country’s annual mercury releases.

The indiscriminate use of mercury in ASGM contributes to serious long-­term environmental and health problems burdened with social, technical and institutional issues, as well as the implementation of regulations.

In 2006, the United Nations reported that miners in the Philippines are found to have mercury levels up to 50 times above World Health Organization limits.

BAN Toxics! is an independent non-government environmental organization focused on the advancement of environmental justice, children's health, and toxics elimination.

Working closely with government agencies, partner communities and other NGOs in both the local and international levels, BAN Toxics endeavors to reduce and eliminate the use of harmful toxins through education campaigns, training and awareness-raising, and policy-building and advocacy programs.