Sep 25 2013
Professor Takanobu Inoue of Toyohashi Tech’s Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering has been conducting field surveys of mercury poisoning in Indonesia for over a decade.
“The main source of this pollution today is small-scale gold mining,”says Inoue, who is an expert on water environmental engineering. “Goldmining is easy to learn and simple to operate, so for people living onthe poverty line, it offers hope for the future.”
When there is no sophisticated technology available, gold mining involves simply mixing mercury and water with gold ore to form anamalgam. The mixture is then heated to remove the mercury by evaporation, while the water containing mercury residue is usually discarded directly into rivers.
Mercury is a heavy metal that can cause disability and death to miners, and to their families who become exposed to it through contaminated clothing and other items. Chronic poisoning can result in damage to the kidneys and the reproductive system, while the lungs and central nervous system can also be severely affected.
“It is necessary to educate the people on the dangers of mercurypoisoning,” says Inoue. “But there are few environmental researchers in the country, and the equipment they have to test for poisoning is limited, as are funds and government support.”
As a result, quantitative information on the extent of mercurypollution each year is scare and often inaccurate. The United Nations Environment Program, for instance, estimated that in 2011 approximately 70 tonnes of mercury was discharged into the environment. “But this UNfigure is based on the import of mercury into Indonesia,” says Inoue.“It does not take it account illegal imports, so the actual figure iscertainly far higher.”
Professor Takanobu Inoue has been sharing his findings with professors of several universities in Indonesia. He is encouraging them to join the Indonesia Society of Water and Aquatic Environment, where information can be shared and scientific papers on pollution presented and published at conferences.
To help impress on his Indonesian colleagues on the potential dangers, Inoue describes findings on the Minamata disease that was discovered in Minamata city, Japan, in 1956. It was caused by the release of waste water containing mercury pollutants into Minamata Bay by a local chemical company, where it was ingested by marine animals, which were subsequently consumed by humans.
“We need research institutes to collaborate with each other tofacilitate a comprehensive study on mercury pollution in Indonesia,”says Inoue. “Such cooperation will enable monitoring of mercury concentrations in gold mining and the impact of this environmental pollutant on local people.”
Professor Takanobu Inoue of Toyohashi Tech’s Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering.