Signs and symptoms of mercury-exposed gold miners

• Authors: Stephan Bose-O'Reilly , Ludovic Bernaudat , Uwe Siebert , Gabriele Roider , Dennis Nowak , Gustav Drasch

Abstracts

EN

Objectives Gold miners use mercury to extract gold from ore adding liquid mercury to the milled gold-containing ore. This results in a mercury-gold compound, called amalgam. Miners smelt this amalgam to obtain gold, vaporizing it and finally inhaling the toxic mercury fumes. The objective was to merge and analyze data from different projects, to identify typical signs and symptoms of chronic inorganic mercury exposure. Material and Methods Miners and community members from various artisanal small-scale gold mining areas had been examined (Philippines, Mongolia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Indonesia). Data of several health assessments were pooled. Urine, blood and hair samples were analyzed for mercury (N = 1252). Questionnaires, standardized medical examinations and neuropsychological tests were used. Participants were grouped into: Controls (N = 209), living in an exposed area (N = 408), working with mercury as panners (N = 181), working with mercury as amalgam burners (N = 454). Chi² test, linear trend test, Mann-Whitney test, Kruskal-Wallis test, correlation coefficient, Spearman’s rho, and analysis of variance tests were used. An algorithm was used to define participants with chronic mercury intoxication. Results Mean mercury concentrations in all exposed subgroups were elevated and above threshold limits, with amalgam burners showing highest levels. Typical symptoms of chronic metallic mercury intoxication were tremor, ataxia, coordination problems, excessive salivation and metallic taste. Participants from the exposed groups showed poorer results in different neuropsychological tests in comparison to the control group. Fifty-four percent of the high-exposed group (amalgam burners) were diagnosed as being mercury-intoxicated, compared to 0% within the control group (Chi² p < 0.001). Conclusions Chronic mercury intoxication, with tremor, ataxia and other neurological symptoms together with a raised body burden of mercury was clinically diagnosed in exposed people in artisanal small-scale mining areas. The mercury exposure needs to be urgently reduced. Health care systems need to be prepared for this emerging problem of chronic mercury intoxication among exposed people. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2017;30(2):249–269

Keywords

EN

mercury; chronic mercury intoxication; clinical symptoms; neurological symptoms; artisanal small-scale gold mining; elemental mercury

• Publisher: Instytut Medycyny Pracy im. prof. dra Jerzego Nofera w Łodzi
• Journal: International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health
• Year: 2017
• Volume: 30
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 249-269

Dates

published

2017

Contributors

author

Stephan Bose-O'Reilly

• University Hospital Munich, Munich, Germany (Institute and Outpatient Clinic for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, WHO Collaborating Centre for Occupational Health)
• The Health and Life Sciences University (UMIT), Hall in Tirol, Austria (Institute of Public Health, Medical Decision Making and Health Technology Assessment, Department of Public Health, Health Services Research and Health Technology Assessment)

author

Ludovic Bernaudat

• United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Vienna, Austria (Vienna International Centre)

author

Uwe Siebert

• The Health and Life Sciences University (UMIT), Hall in Tirol, Austria (Institute of Public Health, Medical Decision Making and Health Technology Assessment Department of Public Health, Health Services Research and Health Technology Assessment)
• Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA (Massachusetts General Hospital, Institute for Technology Assessment and Department of Radiology)
• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA (Center for Health Decision Science, Department of Health Policy and Management)

author

Gabriele Roider

• University of Munich, Munich, Germany (Department of Forensic Toxicology, Institute of Forensic Medicine)

author

Dennis Nowak

• University Hospital Munich, Munich, Germany (Institute and Outpatient Clinic for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, WHO Collaborating Centre for Occupational Health)

author

Gustav Drasch

• University of Munich, Munich, Germany (Department of Forensic Toxicology, Institute of Forensic Medicine)

Identifiers

DOI

10.13075/ijomeh.1896.00715

Biblioteka Nauki

2161852