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. 2009 Nov;99 Suppl 3(Suppl 3):S550-8.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2008.148940.

Occupational health, mercury exposure, and environmental justice: learning from experiences in Tanzania

Samuel J Spiegel  1
Affiliations

Occupational health, mercury exposure, and environmental justice: learning from experiences in Tanzania

Samuel J Spiegel. Am J Public Health. 2009 Nov.

Abstract

Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that is used by poverty-driven miners to extract gold in more than 50 countries. This article examines efforts of the United Nations to address occupational health and environmental justice amid these challenges, focusing on a 3-year campaign in one of the fastest-growing mining communities in Tanzania. By providing an integrative analysis of environmental health risks, labor practices, public health policies, and drivers of social inequity and marginalization, this study highlights the need for interdisciplinary public health approaches that support community development by strengthening local capacities. It illustrates why, to ensure that the needs of vulnerable populations are met, environmental justice and public health paradigms have to expand beyond the conventionally narrow attention paid to toxic exposure and emissions issues.

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Figures

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The occupational environment for ore processing in Geita District, Tanzania. Photograph by author.
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Open pools of stagnant water stand on the immediate outskirts of Mgusu village, in Geita District, Tanzania. Such pools are common near most mining villages. Photograph by author.
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Workers mix mercury by hand in an amalgamation pool in Geita District, Tanzania. Photograph by author.
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Children work in an amalgamation processing center in Geita District, Tanzania. Photograph by author.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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