Socioeconomic and Mercury Exposure to the Goldsmiths in Manggal Subdistrict of Urban Artisanal Gold Mining (UAGM) Area in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract

People living in gold mining towns experience high inorganic mercury levels when mercury vapor is emitted during the burning of amalgam as well as gold dor in gold shops. These activities occur in Makassar, Indonesia, where a group of urban people established an artisanal waste recycling industry, in which they use mercury to recover the fine gold particles contained in the waste from goldsmiths' activities. The goldsmith in Manggala is one of UAGM activities to design and manufacture of the unique gold jewelry. Mercury exposure to the goldsmith was happened through gold refining process. The aims of this research are to characterize the socioeconomic and potential mercury exposure to the goldsmith workers. The socioeconomic characterization of goldsmith was obtained by questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews and mercury exposure in hair was analyzed by using Particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) from Iwate Medical University. The result showed that the goldsmith workers in Manggala sub district is better than the other gold workers in Makassar in term of income and education. The lower education was graduated from elementary school and the higher education was graduated from the university. The monthly income of goldsmiths are unskilled, skilled and owner, 751 (11%), respectively. The goldsmiths were exposure by mercury through the refining process in the gold. Therefore, it's found that the average mercury concentration in hair is 6.6 μg/g (min-max:1.6-47.7 μg/g). The concentration of mercury in human hair of goldsmith is 5.03 μg/g, for indirect exposed and 8.18 μg/g for direct exposed. This result indicate that the level of mercury is seriously problem according to HBM threshold limit. Therefore, mercury exposure from UAGM activities must be prevented before the greater impact on society.