Indonesia: The Mercury Time Bomb Our World

at the heart of the next election campaign. Now, Our World. Thousands

Indonesia are threatened by a Indonesia are threatened by a

poisonous substance. Mercury. These two boys living here in this mining

area already shows symptoms and signs of a chronic brain mercury

intoxication. Did you know that mercury can be bad for your health?

It is not just bad for people. For the first time, the scale of the

problem is beginning to emerge. It is shocking. Mercury is even in the

food chain. We found food chain. We found the

concentration of mercury in the rice is the highest concentration ever

analysed in a laboratory. Ever analysed? Yes.What could be the

effect of all this mercury on the lives of Indonesians? The outcome

will be tremendous. A national disaster, I should say.

employed by a large mining company. They work for themselves. This oil

and Earth are sucked up and run over and Earth are sucked up and run over

mechanical sluices. Gold is much heavier than other rock, so tiny

particles are captured on sections of carpet on this loose. Then it is

taken for processing. It is filthy work, hard and dangerous but if the

miners are lucky, they will be well rewarded. There is nothing pretty

about informal goldmining but the attraction for these guys is that

potentially, they can earn five times as much as they would if they

had a job, for example, in had a job, for example, in

agriculture. After the miners have filtered the soil, they bring the

Gold which model for fine Gold which model for fine

processing. Are you feeling lucky? One g of gold is worth around $45 US

and the cash is divided between a and the cash is divided between a

team of perhaps eight or ten miners. This is where the liquid metal

mercury is added mercury is added to the mix. It is

used to separate fragments of gold from the soil. But it's a highly

element and environmental activist element and

are trying to persuade miners of the are trying to persuade miners

dangers to human health. They have a dangers to human health. They have a

few bottle tops of mercury in there and they mix it by hand for about

ten minutes until all of the gold is absorbed in the mercury. Then they

transfer it into the gold pan and mix it again and start eliminating

the concentrate. They pour it back in. He is being very careful. You

can see the mercury being poured in. They are heavy because they now

contain gold. They will take that amalgam and squeeze it through a

cross and then they will get a very mercury is reclaimed. They don't

and half mercury. The rest of the mercury is reclaimed. They don't

waste it. But a little bit of it, the equivalent of the amount that

goes into the ball, will go into the lake. Contamination for them at all

so for the families that live here. They believe in the lake, they fish

in the lake and the lake is well contaminated. Many miners do not

appreciate they are dealing with a deadly substance. Did you know that

mercury can be quite bad for your health? Nobody talks about that

here? The makeshift mines are two Hours

Drive from the provincial capital and are served by the nearby

goldrush town. The golf shops in the town process and by the fruits of

the miners' labour, —— gold shops. It's not just the miners coming into

contact with mercury, the whole community can be affected. 3 million

Indonesians live from small—scale goldmining. Stephane is a German

doctor and an expert on mercury. He doctor and an expert on mercury. He

first came to Indonesia ten years ago to study the effects of mercury

has come to help us identify people has come to help us identify people

displaying the symptoms of displaying the symptoms of

poisoning. At the local health centre, he assesses a man who owns a

going. He shows typical symptoms of going.

cannot co—ordinate his movements chronic mercury

cannot co—ordinate his movements well. When he was twisting and

turning his arms... Close your eyes. well. When he was twisting and

doctor believes that he is. He complained about headaches and then

he reported salivation, which is a typical

symptom of mercury intoxication. symptom of mercury intoxication. It

is very likely that his brain will deteriorating over time, so he will

have more and more problems, and they are irreversible, so they will

stay with him for as long as he lives. The Doctor takes care and

urine samples back to a lab in Munich to measure the mercury

exposure and will let us know the results. When we meet from role in

his shop, we begin to understand why he is showing symptoms of

intoxication. As he smelt the ball flew miners bring him, the mercury

evaporates, leaving the gold behind. In the process, Farul inhales the

toxic fumes. We let you yesterday at the Doctor 's clinic and he said you

some problems. He said that was a some problems. He said that was

result of the mercury. I wonder what result of the mercury. I wonder what

you think of that, now we find you here back in your shop.

Are you worried might become contaminated like

But if might become contaminated like

mercury, then probably, your health mercury, then probably, your health

will get worse, right? some improvements. If he does not,

his symptoms are likely to get worse. In the town, there is

something else the German doctor is worried about. What is your name?

Very good! I am wondering if this child, her cleft palate could be

connect it to the high mercury high mercury exposure her mother

experienced while she was pregnant. Either remember that in this market

where we are just sitting now, there were once many gold shops and they

were all smelting amalgams and the mercury exposure was very high. We

smelters and they had extremely high smelters and they had extremely high

levels of mercury. Maybe the highest levels of mercury ever measured in

this world. We go to talk to the girl's mother who still lives and

works among the gold shops of the town.

works among the gold shops of the town.

Has anybody ever suggested to you that it might be the case that it is

the mercury that might have affected your little girl

The mother said very frankly that she knows about a few other cases of

cleft palate in the village. And she knows that in her home village,

there were far less cases. It is needed that scientists come back and

research this possibility that mercury exposure in small—scale

mining areas mining areas is closing

malformations in children. If this is true, it will be a high price we

have to pay for gold. In Indonesia, contamination with mercury is not

only harming people, it's only harming people, it's

devastating the environment. The tropical forest around the mining

town was home to orangutans and hornbills just a few years ago. Now,

this is what is left of the jungle and it will never fully recover.

This was once virgin rainforest. Then, when the Asian economic crisis

hits and there was a huge goldrush, thousands of gold miners turned up

here from across Indonesia. The result was this. All of it

contaminated now with mercury. It is actually illegal in Indonesia to use

mercury in small—scale goldmining but this is a law that is impossible

to enforce. This woman and her team to enforce. This woman and her team

size of the UK. It is her job to size of the UK. It

limit the impact of mercury. It is limit the impact of mercury. It is

not easy to stop them even though we want to Papaya pressure, it is

is the most dangerous metal but they is the most dangerous metal but they

do not have a say that the problem will arrive after ten years and I

have already died of. So they don't care about the next generation. I

sciences, you must be upset about it when you look at that area. I feel

that it is a part of Central Kalimantan that is lost. When we

talk about Central Kalimantan, we think about forests, about clean

water. Because we don't have water. Because we don't have

industry here. The impact of the metal and the small—scale goldmining

is something that we do not expect —— that we did not expect.

Indonesians love gold. This is the gold market in Central Kalimantan's

capital. With an economy that has taken spectacular tumbles in living

memory, people see gold as a safe bet investment, and insurance

against future crises. The growing demand for this precious

metal takes its toll. Especially when produced informally, with no

controls. We leave Central Kalimantan and head

experienced public health experts in appointment with one of the most

experienced public health experts in Indonesia. Mercury is troublesome.

mercury, with this goldmining mercury, with this

activity. There is no understanding two no understanding at all. He

being used is creating a time bomb. being used is

At least 180 tonnes of mercury is At least 180 tonnes of mercury is

small—scale goldmining here in Indonesia. It is rampant all over

the country. This is people going out to collect gold using dangerous

materials, that is mercury. That worries me very much. The danger of

electric contamination is that people who became the victims did

not know what happened to them. —— not know what happened to them. ——

mercury contamination. It is a very long process.

These are the consequences of mercury left unchecked.

That people of one Japanese are witnessed the worst example of

bakery poisoning the world has ever seen. The effect of exposure happens

slowly, over three decades. The sources of pollution was a plastics

factory. It spilled waste into the bay and contaminated fish, the

staple food of the population. Thousands would die of what became

known as men at a disease. So could what is happening in

Indonesia echoed the terrible Indonesia echoed the terrible

experience of people in Japan, 50 years ago? Until we can prove that

there is some kind of poisoning, there is some kind of poisoning,

meaning a laboratory examination of these people, perhaps later on we

of mercury in Indonesia. It is going may say that there is a possibility

to build—up. A risk of a novel, or to build—up. A risk of a novel, or

new mini matter disease, says the doctor. More research and marks ——

much more regulation is needed. doctor. More research and marks ——

much more regulation is needed. It is nearly years now since I was last

in Indonesia and since then, the economic boom has transformed the

lives of many. People have got smart lives of many. People have got smart

streets are jammed with new and expensive cars. In contrast to

what we have found is that the trading and use of mercury is almost

completely unregulated. And it is not just Kalimantan. Unlicensed goal

—— goldmining is happening across the archipelago.

With its beaches and luxury hotels, Lombok is famous as a tropical

tourist destination. We have come to the island because it as well is in

the grip of gold fever. We have had their children are working in the

industry and being dangerously exposed to mercury. This village has

joined the It is very different from

Kalimantan. In Lombok, the gold Kalimantan. In Lombok, the gold is

found in solid rock. Breaking it down is a slow, labourious process.

We are in this village and almost the entire community here is devoted

to the business of gold. They used the whole or amalgamation process

which means that the rocks come from which means that the rocks come from

the mountains, are put into drums and once crushed to a fine pulp, the

villagers have recently abandoned of the making of gold. Many

villagers have recently abandoned traditional occupations of farming

and fishing so that mercury is everywhere. This doctor knows the

village well. She village well. She is a soil

scientist at the University of the matter ran, the capital of Lombok

and has done groundbreaking research on the impact of mercury in food. We

do tests now. Let your arms like this. First, she

children. Fast, fast!These two are to examine some of

ten and 12. They collect used in ten and 12. They collect used in

those —— user mercury from a waste byproduct. Of these two boys, living

in this area and working with mercury show symptoms and signs of

chronic mercury intoxication. They have problems co—ordinating their

movements properly. They have a slight tremor. This is what we call

a co—ordination problem. This can be related to higher mercury exposure

as well. Faster, faster! Mercury is, ——

to your cerebellum. The control of to your cerebellum. The control of

the movement is already did —— impaired in these young boys.

I am just cutting some hair from this little boy. E collect more

samples for the allowed back in samples for the allowed back in the

collect more samples. Gold collect more samples. Gold

production has become the economic mainstay of this village. It has

brought development, new buildings, motorbikes, and some people are

doing very well from the gold rush. For most, the potential long—term

impact on health is clearly not a impact on health is clearly not a

cause for concern, at least for the moment.

Just a few kilometres from the village, a sea of rice paddy fields.

On the Mac we took a sample in 2011 of the rice field in this area. Ryde

this is where this doctor has research contamination of the soil

be consumed. By the people here. As and

be consumed. By the people here. As you can see here, they are eating

the rice from the land. Close to the will rice dumps, she

levels of electric. We found that the concentration of mercury in the

rice is the highest concentration ever analysed in the lab. That has

ever been analysed? In the world? I don't know about the world but this

is the highest we have ever seen. We send the samples to the only lab in

the world. How did you feel about that? I was shocked about this. This

is a serious problem for the area. Across Asia, where you have other

goldmining? The amount? goldmining? The amount? The

Philippines? China? —— the amount? The consequences could be huge. ——

Vietnam? I am surprised because nobody in Lombok is talking about

this. This is a huge step, to find this kind of information. Skyhigh

levels of mercury in the food chain. If her results were replicated

across Indonesia's goldmining If her results were replicated

across Indonesia's goldmining regions, the prospects could be

terrifying. And the doctor who took care and

year and samples has the analysis back. The results are shocking. Are

you ready? One, two, three, go! The you ready? One, two, three, go! The

gold shop owner told the doctor wonder. You or I may have one or two

he has headaches and feels weak. wonder. You or I may have one or two

His southpaw showed a level of His southpaw showed a level of

nearly 700 micrograms. —— your own. The boys in Lombok both recorded

elevated levels of mercury as well. One result was

micrograms per litre is worrying. He micrograms per litre

For the has only worked for two years with

small—scale goldmining presents a huge challenge. One minister told me

that they are working to tighten controls on the illegal import of

mercury. They have agreed to sign up next month to the UN in a manner ——

the UN's nematic invention, which aims to regular mercury in all

industries. Small—scale goldmining is not just a problem for Indonesia.

Millions of miners are hard at work in 17, mostly poor, nations around

the world. Many of them use mercury. Indonesia is one of the largest

informal producers of gold and the failure to take action rapidly could

have raised consequences. —— grave. The outcome will be very

tremendous. A national disaster, The outcome will be very

should say. Once you get electric poisoning,

that is it. Mercury contamination or Mercury poisoning is a 1—way

ticket.