KOTA KINABALU: Health authorities are investigating claims of people getting ill from suspected toxic inhalation near the Bukit Mantri mining site in Tawau.
Sabah Health director Datuk Dr Asits Sanna said they were working with agencies such as the Environment Department to ascertain the matter.
"We first need to check this matter thoroughly, whether there is toxic fumes emitted from the mining activity, and if there is, what kind of toxic," he said when contacted on Wednesday (Dec 20).
He said the control measures would depend on the outcome of the toxicity test.
For the time being, local authorities have also been urged to carry out an inspection and take proper precautions, said Dr Asits.
"I was informed that instructions have been issued by the Local Government and Housing Ministry to investigate and take immediate action," he said.
According to some villagers in Kg Balung where the mining is being done, some of them have started falling ill with fever and vomiting recently.
They suspect that this was due to the inhalation of sodium cyanide from the mining activity and were calling for the closure of the operations until a probe had been conducted.
In the state assembly sitting in Nov, Merotai assemblyman Sarifuddin Hata had called for the shutting down of the gold mining operations in Tawau, claiming it to be illegal.
He alleged that there was no new approval from the Mineral and Geoscience Department for its operations after the earlier approval to mine gold expired on Oct 31 this year.
Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Abidin Madingkir later said the state government found the mining activities had fulfilled all regulatory conditions.
