Mercury levels at Gold Board safe, analysis finds

From left are Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman, General Manager of the Guyana Gold Board Eondrene Thompson and Chairman of the Board GHK Lall at yesterday’s press conference. (Terrence Thompson photo)

Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman yesterday announced that an analysis of the mercury emissions at the Guyana Gold Board (GGB) laboratory on Brickdam shows that levels were within “normal” limits but he said he proposes to have an expert review of the operations, which could be relocated.

The report by contractor Kaizen Environmental Services (Guyana) Limited said that air quality monitoring on March 28th at 10 locations in the Guyana Geology and Mines Com-mission (GGMC) Com-pound, Upper Brickdam showed that levels were within the United States Occupational Safety & Health Administration, eight-hour Permissible Exposure Limit.

Concerns by staff of the agency about the impact of mercury on their health had led to the commissioning of the analysis.