Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Director Inderjit Ramdass said tests carried out in the village of Isseneru last December showed that mercury levels in its surface water were above United States’ EPA recommended limits.
Natural Resources Minister Robert Persaud said this and other findings led to the issuance of cease-work orders to errant miners in the area and plans are in the pipeline to execute a more comprehensive study into the effects of mining in the Region 7 community.
Persaud and Ramdass gave these explanations to the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources on Monday morning. Ramdass told committee members, including A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) MPs Joseph Harmon, Rupert Roopnaraine and Vanessa Kissoon and People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) MPs Neil Kumar and Odinga Lumumba that the EPA collaborated with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) to carry out an investigation into mercury levels in Isseneru’s soil, river bed and surface water last December.
The investigation lasted from December 6 to 8, 2013.
Ramdass said several samples of surface water were tested and all samples showed mercury levels which were above those prescribed by the United States’ EPA. Samples of river sediment were also tested and three samples of the river bed were found to have mercury levels below those prescribed by authorities in Brazil. Mercury was also found to be present in soil samples taken although the levels were also below the limit prescribed by Brazil. Ramdass said that Brazil’s limits were used as comparisons for the final two sets of tests because the US does not have prescribed limits for them.
These findings, Persaud told the committee, led to the issuance of several cease-work orders to miners and further investigations are imminent. Ramdass said last December’s investigation was a rapid assessment, whose purpose was to determine a baseline which will guide a more thorough investigation. The rapid assessment did not test for the effect the excess mercury levels has had on living organisms, or any other implications for that matter.
He said the EPA is making preparations for a more in-depth investigation but could not say when this investigation would be carried out.
Last year Stabroek News reported that mercury was getting into Isseneru’s soil and surface water and the bodies of the community’s residents. The level of mercury in the water in particular was blamed on the reduced number of fish for consumption.
Toshao of Isseneru, Lewis Larson had said that he was not aware of any adverse effects. “That is the main diet, it hard for the people to come off from it,” Larson said, while adding that the people are aware of the possible effects. Nevertheless, many persons had reduced the amount of fish consumed. He said that some people eat fish every day but these persons are in the minority with the majority eating fish once or twice a week. Meat, as an alternative to fish, is expensive. He said that beef and chicken have to be taken in from the coastland via air or road then by river to Isseneru. This makes the meat costly and out of the reach of some residents.
Larson echoed other residents, who said that another study should be conducted to determine whether mercury levels in their bodies had decreased.
The issue of mercury poisoning in Isseneru has existed for several years.
