In affiliation with the International Humanities Center (IHC) Nonprofit 501[c](3)

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In the Greenstone Belt region of Suriname, Indigenous and tribal people are being poisoned by mercury from gold mining. Little effort has been made to provide the people in this region with the basic information needed to reduce their risk from exposure to mercury.

Mission


We provide indigenous people in Suriname’s interior Greenstone Belt region with the materials and technical support they need to self-diagnose the effects of mercury pollution from gold-mining on their community’s and their environment’s health.
Indigenous People Impacted by Gold Mining back to menu
Five Amerindian groups (Wayana, Carib, Arowaks,Trio, and Akuiro) and five culturally distinct groups of Maroons (Ndyuka or Aukaner, Saramaka, Paramaka, Aluku or Boni, and Matawai) live along the main rivers in Suriname’s Greenstone Belt region. They are now being poisoned with mercury as a gold rush draws thousands of foreigners who are mining their lands.

Mercury Pollution from Mining back to menu

Since the early 1990s there has been an explosive increase in gold mining activities in Suriname. It is estimated that between 10 and 60 metric tons of mercury are used in mining and released into the environment in Suriname each year. The indiscriminate use of mercury throughout the process is causing irreversible damage to the Environment and exposes both miners and the general population living in the region where mining occurs to toxic levels of mercury.

The Effects of Mercury Pollution back to menu


Hair analysis results indicate that the general population living in areas where gold mining occurs may be exposed to mercury. Mercury levels found in human hair in the volunteers from the southeast region of Suriname ranged from 2 to 15 ppm. Clinical signs of mercury toxicity were observed including ptosis, and impaired hearing, sight and speech.



Amerindian
Maroon (tribal decendants of escaped african slaves)


Miners adding mercury to sleuce box to amalgamate gold. Ninety Five percent of mercury used is released to environment
The Problem back to menu

Currently, projects measuring mercury pollution from gold mining are conducted without the full participation of indigenous and tribal communities. The indigenous Amerindians and the tribal Maroons are displaced and dispossessed by this process, and live as an alienated minority. The indigenous and tribal communities must be included in the design, execution, and analysis phases of projects that impact the mental, physical, and social health and well-being of their communities.

A Solution back to menu

Knowledge and information empowers people to become vocal participants in the political decision-making process. We have shown that knowledge about the environmental and public health effects of small-scale gold mining and mercury contamination induce indigenous and tribal communities to identify the training, research and policy needs that are priorities from their own perspectives. Given access to knowledge regarding the impacts of mercury, communities are able to negotiate and apply pressure for socially and environmentally responsible activities in their own territories. Informed communities are able to demand and shape transparency and accountability in the activities of governmental and nongovernmental organizations. This is the first step in gaining control of the research and intervention processes and improving the quality of life in their communities.