2003 Volume 5 Pages 61-70
The purpose of the present study was to examine attitudes toward small scale mining among people living in Itogon area, the Philippines. Although there assumes to be nearly 9,000 small scale miners in the area, the current status of the miners have not been known. This relatively large number of people involved in small scale mining has caused serious problems such as mercury contamination, environmental damage, occupational health problems, and accidents. However, attitudes toward the above mentioned problems are not clear yet. The results of a survey and an interview showed that people including small scale miners were generally positive toward small scale mining, and they underestimated risks of small scale mining activities. The implications of the results were discussed.
