CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY MERCURY INHALATION AND LUNG FUNCTION WORKERS AROUND SMALL-SCALE GOLD MINING (CASE STUDY: WG, MR, DH AND KB DISTRICT)

• Main Author: Ardina, Nimas
• Format: Theses
• Language: Indonesia
• Subjects: Teknik saniter dan perkotaan; teknik perlindungan lingkungan
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/41310
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM) contributes up to 727 tons of ambient mercury per year. ASGM releases mercury by burning amalgam, which may be inhaled and endanger human health and causes chemical pneumonitis. The purpose of this study was to analyze the risk of mercury inhalation of workers around ASGM area., done by a cross-sectional study, which could calculate the risk using logistic regression. The number of respondent in each group are 17 burners and 16 persons around the burning area, and 30 persons in the area without amalgam burning were considered as control. Ambient mercury was measured by Zeeman Mercury Analyzer and personal flow samplers for mercury inhalation during amalgam burning. Urine samples were taken as biomarkers and lung function was measured by spirometry. Questionnaires were used to determine the habits of respondents. Total mercury in urine and inhaled air during amalgam burning were tested using ICP-MS. The maximum concentration ambient mercury at the amalgam burning process, i.e., 25,123 µg/m3, and at the area without amalgam burning, i.e., 0.29 µg/m3. The average urine concentration among the burning groups, communities around burning amalgam, and communities without amalgam burning were 241.41, 65.95, and 16.82 µg/g creatinine respectively. Logistic regression showed that people exposed to mercury had 4,744 greater risk of having lung function disorders, as compared to the non exposed group.