On 9/10 March, MCRB hosted a multistakeholder discussion on licensing and responsible business practices for gold mining in Sagaing Region bringing together government officials from the Mining, Forestry and Environmental Conservation Departments of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MONREC), General Administration Department (GAD), the Directorate of Investment and Companies Administration (DICA) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MoALI), together with parliamentarians from across Sagaing Region, including Homalin, Tigyaing , Kawlin, Wuntho, Indaw, and Pinlebu townships. They were joined in Monywa by local and international mining companies, civil society organisations and international NGOs and experts. Read more: https://www.myanmar-responsiblebusiness.org/news/towards-responsible-gold-mining-sagaing-region.html

1. 2018 Overview of Myanmar
Mercury Uses & Emissions
• What we know
• What we don’t know
• Where to go from here
David Allan, Spectrum
djallan7@gmail.com
10/3/2019

2. Overview
• Information available
• SOBA and IPPS
• ASGM - Overview
• ASGM – Need for Multistakeholder approach
• Hg to Au ratio
• Other agencies not here yet.

3. Overview
• Information available
• SOBA and IPPS
• ASGM - Overview
• ASGM – Need for Multistakeholder approach
• Hg to Au ratio
• Other agencies not here yet.

4. Mercury Inventory in Myanmar
• Increasing research!
• Much approximated / modelled. Eg IPPS
estimation during SOBA
• (but this does not include coal power stations
or ASGM sources)
• Other data known available…
but not available – Eg. A dataset of Hg in
groundwater known, but not accessable.
• Increasing fish and sediment sample data.

5. Calculated Mercury loads from
Industrial Zones in Myanmar
Based on IPSS method:
• (the International Pollutant Projection System),
• Myanmar industry classification,
• size of industry.
• Most of the Hg loads come from Industrial raw
pollution classification, which can come from any
number of factories.
• Unfortunately, don't have exact production details for
any of the industrial sources in Myanmar,
• Figures are averages based on the IPPS and the broad
classifications provided to SOBA team by the DoI.

6. Modelled Results from Industry Mix
(Excluding power generation & Mining)

7. Modelled Results by location
(Excluding power generation & Mining)

8. Modelled Results
from Industry Mix
(Excluding power
generation &
Mining)

9. Artisanal & Small-Scale Gold Mining -
Globally
• 10-15 million artisanal miners in over 70
countries (ASM is the 3rd biggest global employer)
• 100 million livelihoods supported by ASGM
• Approximately 15-20% of global gold production
• Direct economy of around $20 billion USD and
secondary economy of $100 billion
• Usually carried out by poor and economically
marginalized communities

10. Mercury in ASGM
• ASGM is the world’s highest
source of anthropogenic
mercury emissions – (16,000
tons per year)
• A global pollutant that can be
transported through the
atmosphere and food chain
• A powerful neurotoxin –
mercury has adverse effects
on humans, plants and
wildlife.

11. Why is mercury used in ASGM?
• It is quick and easy to use
• It is easy to access
• It is cheap
• It is portable and can be
used independently by
miners
• It is relatively effective, but
usually only captures 40% of
gold
• Lack of awareness of
alternatives
• Lack of understanding of
negative health and
environmental impacts

12. “ASGM is complex and diverse, involving
a range of different actors and
stakeholders. Whilst ASGM is a vital
coping strategy and income generation
activity for impoverished communities
facing food or livelihood security, it
also represents a long term and serious
public health and environmental threat.
In order to reduce and where possible
eliminate the use of mercury in ASGM
a multi-ministry and multi-stakeholder
approach is needed. Policies must
work to reduce access and availability
of mercury as a controlled substance,
but also promote improved or
alternative processing methods through
education and provision of alternative
technologies. A careful and considered
process of formalisation can help
governments to better improve, upscale
and regulate gold mining activities,
and also get revenue through tax and
royalty collection.”
CONCLUSIONS

13. Mercury Use in ASGM in Myanmar
• Not very much research done to date
• Recent research shows levels of 81ug/g in
Irrawaddy river sediment and an average of
2.9 ug/g in hair of miners (3 times above the
WHO limit)
• Suggests that levels of of mercury in fish are
high and further testing needs to be done.

14. What Do We Need to Find Out to
Estimate Mercury use in ASGM?
• Is mercury used?
• How is ore processed?
• How much mercury is used per unit of gold
produced?
• How much gold is produced?
Data can be collected through key informant
interviews, observations, measurements, surveys

15. Calculating Hg:Au Ratio
Hg (total) – Hg (excess) ÷ Au (sponge) = Hg:Au
• Whole ore amalgamation roughly 5:1
• Concentrate amalgamation roughly 1.3:1
Steps:
1. Weigh total amount of mercury before use
2. Weigh excess mercury after amalgamation
3. Weigh amalgam
4. Weigh sponge gold after burning

16. Mining Practices
and Mercury Use
Myaw Shwe
• Large numbers of operations
in upper Irawaddy, Maika and
Malaika Rivers
• Miners are often local and
engage in mining to escape
poverty
• No regulation of mining
activities
• Mercury often released
directly into the Irrawaddy
• Operations have a
mecury:gold ratio of 1.6:1
• Mines earn around 12 ywe per
day – 19.6 ywe of mercury
• This means that each mine
emits around 2958 ywe per
year (5 months)

17. Mining Practices
and Mercury Use
Phyone Shwe
•Operations usually have
5-7 workers
•Higher levels of investment
and higher returns
•Usually make around
40 ywe per day
•Mercury : Gold ratio
around 1.25 : 1
•Daily mercury release
50 ywe per day /
17,500 ywe per year

18. Mining Practices
and Mercury Use
T’nine T’bine
• Practiced for a few months a
year after harvesting period
• Important subsistence
livelihood for poor
communities
• Small amounts of gold
produced
• Mercury:gold ratio about 1.8:1
• Daily production around 3 ywe
• Daily mercury emissions
around: 5.4 ywe

19. Estimating Mercury Releases in Upper
Ayarwaddy
• Average mercury:gold ratio for alluvial gold
mining 1.4 : 1
• Gold smelter takes around 2.5 viss of gold per
month from Myitkyina
• Total amount of mercury used/released into
the environment could be around 42 viss per
year (68.5 kilos)????

20. Mercury mined from the bed of the Irrawaddy.
This shows that there may be huge amounts
of mercury covering the whole of the river,
putting the whole country at risk.

21. Options for Mercury Reduction /
Elimination in ASGM
• Extensive miner education
• Control of mercury sale
• Introduction of retorts
and alternative practices (direct smelting)
• Introduction of processing centers
• Formalisation of artisanal mining
and regulation of sector
• Health interventions
• ????????????????????
• Actions need to take into account the importance of
ASGM as a vital livelihood for poor communities

22. Options for Reducing Mercury in Gold
Production

23. 0 mercury methods
• Direct smelting
method
• Gravity method
• Chemical Leaching
(cyanidation)

24. Flora and Fauna International
“As part of FFI’s freshwater ecosystem conservation program in the Upper
Ayeyarwaddy basin, FFI has established a basic water quality monitoring
program in Indawgyi lake. Several streams that feed into Indawgyi lake
transport sediments from artisanal gold mining operations into the lake. FFI has
undertaken some baseline sampling of heavy metals (including mercury) and
other parameters in collaboration with the Technical University of Cottbus in
Germany of stream and lake water, stream and lake sediments (including lake
bottom core samples), as well as fish tissue. We have also started a sanitation
program for flood prone households surrounding the lake.
FFI has been undertaking regular fish, bird and bivalve surveys throughout the
upper Ayeyarwaddy basin and is monitoring threats to freshwater ecosystems.
Gold mining is clearly the largest threat to the integrity of riverine and lake
ecosystems, not only through pollution but primarily through destroying river
banks and floodplains and increasing the sediment load of the river and streams
changing aquatic habitats.
Since we are very much committed to continuing our Upper Ayyearwaddy
freshwater ecosystem conservation program, which aims at protecting
biodiversity, sustaining local fisheries and reducing pollution we are very much
interested in a partnership.”

25. MATA – Myanmar Alliance for
Transparency and Accountability
“MATA is a nationwide alliance of around 450 organisation.
They formed to fulfil the EITI CS representation area.
Mining impacts are a key interest of the group members.
They could therefore be a key stakeholder.

26. References:
• Persaud A., and Telmer K. (2015) Developing Baseline
Estimates of Mercury Use in Artisanal and Small-Scale
Gold Mining Communities: A Practical Guide (Version
1.0), Artisanal Gold Council. Victoria, BC. ISBN 978-0-
9939459-4-6.
• Reducing mercury use in artisanal and small scale gold
mining: a technical guide, (2012), United Nations
Environmental Programme
• Osawa, T., and Hatsukawa. (2015), Artisanal and small-
scale gold mining in Myanmar: Preliminary research for
environmental mercury contamination, HCS Journal.