Research Brief - L'éducation et la distribution d'équipements permettent d'améliorer les connaissances sur le mercure et l'utilisation de la cornue dans les communautés d'exploitation aurifère artisanale et à petite échelle au Sénégal.
[ English - French ]
Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is the primary source of anthropogenic mercury (Hg) emissions globally and a significant source of local Hg exposure. Exposure to Hg vapor can cause limb tremors, blurred vision, loss of limb functionality, and in severe cases, death. In this research brief, we report the effects of education and distribution of retorts (Hg-capture device) through pre- and post-intervention surveys in Senegalese gold mining communities. We find a combination of a graphics-based and community-oriented educational approach and increased access to mercury-capture equipment (retorts) can lead to increased use of this equipment. As a result of the intervention, 94% of individuals surveyed believed mercury use to be dangerous and 64% of individuals surveyed used retorts at least sometimes compared to 3% pre-intervention. We attribute the success of this intervention to our bottom-up approach that relied on trusted community members to lead educational trainings in local languages using simple graphics, construction of retorts by local metalworkers using locally available material, and the incorporation of individuals’ ideas for modifications of retort design. In addition to the efficacy of the intervention in the targeted villages, we also found that there was a social spillover effect, whereby control villages that received no interventions also had increased knowledge. These results suggest the importance of physical and social proximity for increasing the impact of ASGM interventions beyond those communities targeted for the intervention. While our study is focused on Senegal, we believe it has implications for other ASGM locations. As part of the international Minamata Convention - the UNEP treaty focused on controlling mercury releases - countries with ASGM activity must create action plans to reduce mercury emissions. Here we show one mechanism by which Hg reductions from ASGM activity can be reduced that can be incorporated into individual countries’ action plans.
