Study of mercury contamination in the environment as an impact of Artisanal gold mines activities at North Halmahera Indonesia

Abstract

North Halmahera is part of Halmahera Island in East Indonesia which has natural resources that can be used for capital development of the island, such is gold deposit. An environmental destruction has occurred in surrounding areas of artisanal gold mines, one of them is mercury contamination. This is a descriptive analysis study in order to find out has mercury contamination occurred in the study area. The study was conducted by measuring mercury concentration directly in the atmosphere and soil by using mercury vapor analyzer, and collected river and marine water which analyzed in laboratory. The average measured mercury vapor in the atmosphere was 2.071, 8 mg/L, and in soil was 12, 568.4 mg/L, while the EPA threshold limit of mercury vapor concentration is 300 mg/L. All mercury concentration in river water were lower than 0.009 mg/L below the threshold limit of Water Quality Class II PPRI No.82/2001 which is 0.002 mg/L. The measurements were also below the threshold limit for water marine of KepMen LH No 51/2004 of 0.001 mg/L. It is find out that mercury vapor has contaminated the atmosphere of the study area of Malifut and Kao Teluk sub districts.