A Poisonous Mix - Human Rights Watch

The Use of Mercury in Artisanal Mining: A Global Toxic Threat
Mercury is used by artisanal miners in at least 70 countries around the world
including countries across the Sahel gold belt. There are 13 to 15 million artisanal
miners working worldwide who risk being directly exposed to mercury; many of
them are women and children. 139 The chemical is affecting the environmental
health of many more people globally. An estimated 1,000 tonnes of mercury are
released from artisanal miners each year—around 400 tonnes go into the
atmosphere, and around 600 tonnes are discharged into rivers, lakes, and soil.
China, Indonesia, and Colombia are among the countries with the highest
estimated emissions. 140
Mercury is the cheapest and easiest gold extraction method. Mercury-free gold
extraction methods require more capital, training, and organization than many
artisanal miners have access to. Industrial mines have phased out the use of
mercury and switched to cyanide processing, which poses another set of serious
health risks. Occasionally cyanide has been promoted as an alternative to
mercury for artisanal miners, and resulted in the parallel use of both mercury and
cyanide. This is particularly dangerous, as cyanide can exacerbate mercury’s
negative impacts on the environment.
In the absence of a safe and practicable mercury-free alternative, several
methods are being promoted by the UN and NGOs to reduce the use of and
exposure to mercury, such as emission-reducing technology (small containers
that retain mercury vapor, known as retorts, or fume hoods), recycling mercury,
and methods to concentrate the gold before amalgamation. 141 In recognition of
the global threat posed by mercury, a global treaty for the reduction of mercury is
underway and scheduled for adoption in 2013. 142
139 Blacksmith Institute/Green Cross Switzerland, “World’s Worst Pollution Problems Report 2010. Top Six Toxic Threats.”
140 Kevin H. Telmer and Marcello M. Veiga, “World Emissions of Mercury from Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining”; Kevin
Telmer, “Mercury in ASM, Extent, Causes and Solutions,” powerpoint presentation, 2009.
141 Kevin H. Telmer and Marcello M. Veiga, “World Emissions of Mercury from Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining,” p.164;
Samuel J. Spiegel, “Socioeconomic dimensions of mercury pollution abatement.”
142 See section VII below.
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