Trade and use of mercury not forbidden by law

The trade and the use of mercury is not forbidden in Suriname. There is no law which provides guidelines for the use of mercury. “It is not written anywhere that it is forbidden,” said Natural Resources Minister Regillio Dodson who added that this illustrates the complexity of the fight against environment pollution and the protection of the public health against this toxic metal. Legislation only mentions that it is mandatory to have a permit for the import of mercury. It is very difficult to check this because various goods in which mercury is processed are imported into the country. This is how unknown amounts of mercury enter the country via the harbors. Most of the unprocessed mercury is reportedly smuggled from neighboring Guyana into Suriname. “Small quantities are intercepted at the check point,” said Minister Dodson. During the discussion of the Minimata Convention on Mercury, the minister presented alarming figures. The amount of mercury that is used in the gold mines is the same as the amount of gold that is found. “If we look at the official figures from 2016, we can conclude that 14,000 kilograms of mercury has been processed by the small scale mining sector.” Officials have launched a campaign aimed at tackling mercury trafficking. Despite the fact that there are no laws to ban the use of mercury, officials want to forbid gold miners from using it. Two pilot projects have already been launched in the Matawai and the Sara Creek region. The results of these pilot projects will reportedly be used as input for a national strategy. The Minimata Convention on Mercury is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury. The Convention draws attention to a global and ubiquitous metal that, while naturally occurring, has broad uses in everyday objects and is released to the atmosphere, soil and water from a variety of sources. Controlling the anthropogenic releases of mercury throughout its lifecycle has been a key factor in shaping the obligations under the Convention. Major highlights of the Minimata Convention include a ban on new mercury mines, the phase-out of existing ones, the phase out and phase down of mercury use in a number of products and processes, control measures on emissions to air and on releases to land and water, and the regulation of the informal sector of artisanal and small-scale gold mining. The Convention also addresses interim storage of mercury and its disposal once it becomes waste, sites contaminated by mercury as well as health issues.