THE Guyana Gold Board (GGB) on Tuesday said every effort is being made to find “permanent modern facilities” at a new location so as to ensure the safety of not only its workers but members of the public.

In a statement to the media issued via the Ministry of Natural Resources, the GGB sought to assure the public that health and safety remain paramount concerns to the entity as well as to the government.

As a result, “remedial actions are underway with a view to returning the situation to a state of normality in the shortest time possible”. These include continuous testing for the presence of mercury, cleaning of the compound and equipment and fast-tracking arrangements for relocation of the GGB’s facilities and staff.

In April, the GGB was forced to close its Brickdam, Georgetown laboratory due to the high levels of mercury emissions in the compound. The laboratory is used to burn amalgam to rid the gold of mercury. Mercury is mixed with gold, forming a mercury-gold amalgam which is then heated, vapourising the mercury to obtain the gold. This process can be very dangerous and can lead to significant mercury exposure and health risks.

Several workers of the GGMC were tested for high amounts of mercury in their bodies and have been sent home on sick leave. The incident, which resulted from a blockage in the laboratory’s chimney, saw 65 GGMC staff being sent home. The GGB is currently utilising the facilities of one of its licensed dealers temporarily to burn raw gold while thanking miners for their cooperation.

“We are moving ahead with plans for permanent modern facilities at a new location and at the appropriate time we will disclose the details of those arrangements. These discussions are engaging the highest levels of Government with a view to resolving the issues,” the statement said.

The GCB made it clear that it does not use mercury in any of its processes – as the Board deals with sponge gold and not amalgam gold. Amalgam gold is defined simply as an alloy of gold and mercury, with the gold dissolved into the mercury. The mercury, upon separation and removal from the raw gold, is then recycled.

On the other hand, sponge gold refers to a soft, yellow, corrosion-resistant element said to be a malleable and ductile metal, which occurs in veins and alluvial deposits and which is recovered by mining, panning, or sluicing.

Meanwhile, last Friday, subject Minister Raphael Trotman was called upon to give the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources an update on the situation at the GCB and the health of the workers.

Trotman said a company has agreed to assist the GGB with finding “a new home”. Questioned on what can be deemed an “incestuous relationship” where the regulatory body is using the facility of a miner to carry out its functions, Trotman said, “It has been raised and we are satisfied and we have our staff there; it is a temporary situation. We are actively scouting a few sites; it is only temporary.”

Staff of the GGMC is currently occupying a building in Subryanville, Georgetown, the minister disclosed. Meanwhile, Trotman indicated that there is a system set up to ensure that all workers receive the required medical attention. By virtue of examination from medical professionals, and collaboration with the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) some staff have been sent on sick leave and given medication. “As some go off, others come on. There have been disruptions at GGMC and the Gold Board,” he said adding that only administrative services are being offered at GGMC’s Brickdam office.

Asked whether the incident was caused by staff incompetence or the breakdown of machinery, Trotman said the blocked chimney is regularly maintained but became blocked over a period of two days. He said, “It was maintained but not daily. It wasn’t any wanton or deliberate act.”

Trotman said too that his government has been looking to alternative measures to the use of mercury. He said his government is working with local and international stakeholders such as mining organisations, the UNDP and Conservation International (CI) to realise this objective.

Government’s intention is to work with miners to introduce new technologies for the safe recovery of gold, while highlighting the dangerous effects of mercury, Trotman posited.
Similarly, on Tuesday, GGB said it is in full support of the Guyana’s commitment to the Minamata Convention. President David Granger had declared in 2017 that Guyana takes the protection of its environment very seriously and it is time for firmer action to be taken to prevent environmental degradation and loss of human lives.

“I think that it is very important because the reckless use of mercury could be harmful to the population and, of course, it can cause damage that would last a very long time. It is my intention not just to reduce, but to eliminate the use of mercury in the mining industry,” the President is quoted as saying. Guyana signed on to the Minamata

Convention, which aims to reduce the risks of mercury around the world, in October 2013.
Trotman had reported to the Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources that there has been “an appreciable downturn” because of the negativity surrounding the incident. The GGB projects declarations to be 800,000 ounces with Licensed Gold Dealers 275,000 ounces, GGB-225,000 ounces, Guyana Gold Fields 200,000 ounces, Troy Resources 100,000 ounces.

Additionally, the GGB had projected for January to April 2018 purchases will be 96,000 ounces, while for the same period foreign sales will be 88,208 ounces with revenue in the sum of US$111,585,144.