solidarite-guyane.org

In last week of September, the association Guiana-Solidarity made a new series of samplings in the Indian villages of High-Maroni (French Amazonia). These samplings are intended to measure the evolution of the mercury pollution, due to the gold-mining activity near their zone of life, and to be compared to samplings taken in .

This 120 hairs samplings has been taken in the respect of the protocol imposed by the laboratory of analysis (National Institute for Minamata Disease - Japan) approved by OMS. A first batch of results has been send to us at the beginning of November, in which contains 32 analyses of Kayodé's village (on 70), the population of which is the most touched by the poisoning mercury.

First of all, for comparison, the table (source InVS-1999) of average concentrations of mercury expressed in microgram by gram ( µg / g ) of hair and the limits of the international organizations for the health:

(2) EFSA: European Food Safety Authority

Restitution of the first batch of results (in microgram by gram of hair) for the village of Kayodé and comparison to results :

And distribution of rates found by age brackets:

First analysis of these partial results:

In viewing results in the table above, the level of pollution by the mercury became globally more important than results. The rate of certain children is 5 times superior to the standards of the EFSA (and 10 times superior to the world average).

This pollution results from the reactivation of the passive mercury contained in the ground and reactivated by the activities of illegal gold mining (practised by Guyana people *) or immigrants (by Brazilian **) upstream of Kayodé, an Indian village on the river Tampoc.

Our main anxiety : the rise of the level of satisfaction mercury of the children of less than 3 years, confirms the fears of which had informed us the biggest world specialists of Japan in charge of our analyses: the increase of generation in generation of the capital of methyl-mercury at their birth and a direction towards Minamata's syndrome.

We remind that the neuro-toxicity of the methyl-mercury has grave consequences on the health of the exposed persons and more particularly at the young children who are much more sensitive. These can suffer from important diseases, among others, from delays of development, from changes of the field of vision, the confusions of behaviour, because the methyl-mercury is foeto-toxic, and the mercury of the mother is transmitted to the placenta and is also conveyed via the maternal milk. This explains the important number of neonatal deformations and pregnancies not achieved in villages the most touched by mercury.

However women having had an individualized preventive information (in) about the misdeeds of the mercury and about the most poisoned fishes has reduced of half their rate of total mercury and their child* born in have a rate of mercury divided by 3 in comparison to the other children of the same age brackets. This decline of rate results from a reduced and selective consumption of the predatory fishes (the most soaked with mercury) and of a diversification of their food.

Conclusion :

- It is imperative to lead in the most brief deadline a campaign of information about the dangers of the mercury near the populations of High-Maroni. But prevention does not have to consist to a ' big meeting ' on the mercury in Cayenne city, it is necessary to lead individualized actions of nearness by taking into account their customs of life. Authorities have to give evidence of humility and confide these actions to actors of proximity having a sufficient credibility with the populations (Solidarity Guiana is at their disposal)

- The draft of Park, such as foreseen, by authorizing the gold-miners in the zones of free membership, is going to contribute to increase the poisoning of the local populations and the authorities will be co-responsible for social and medical damages which will result in this zone (their ethnocide is going to be transformed into genocide).

* Most of the illegal sites are exploited with by Guyana people of Maripasoula city and Papaïchton city and someone of them are parents to usual leaders Bonis or elected members

** The Brazilian immigrants are often sponsored by Guyana people

SOLIDARITE GUYANE a French NGO

Alert MeHg (Methylmercury)

Nous venons de recevoir les chiffres de la teneur en Méthylmercure (MeHg) du premier lot d'analyses des prélèvements de fin septembre dernier. Les experts du NIMD (National Institute for Minamata Disease) nous ont alertés sur les niveaux très élevés.

L'Etat et ses dirigeants sont informés de ces chiffres et leurs décisions engagent leur responsabilité.

Pour rappel le Méthylmercure est la forme la plus toxique causant des dommages irréversibles sur le système nerveux des personnes empoisonnées.

Hg = Mercure contenu dans les cheveux

MeHg = Méthyl-mercure

Child/Mother = lien Mère/enfant mettant en évidence la transmission du poison dans le fœtus et via le lait maternel