Mercury Contamination Time Bomb
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Illegal gold mining activities take place in watersheds on the slopes of Mount Nona in Lolong Guba district, Buru regency, Maluku, on Friday (11/11/2016). Mineral processing waste mixed with mercury has polluted 326 hectares of paddy fields in Grandeng village, 15 kilometers away from the mining site.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Mercury contamination is a time bomb in Indonesia in line with the escalating usage of the hazardous chemical substance in gold mining. Mercury is widely distributed and can be easily found in the market. The substance is domestically produced nowadays.
The latest research from environmental civil society organization Bali Fokus and the International POPs Elimination Network cited that the valuation of health impact and intelligence quotient (IQ) decline among Indonesian children exposed to mercury (Hg) contamination reached between Rp 12 billion (US$898,473) and Rp 24 billion. The research published in the Journal of Environmental Management in 2016 was conducted in 14 countries known to be using mercury, including Indonesia.