Mozambique is an area especially affected by mercury pollution from artisanal gold mining. As a country with 70% of its population below the poverty line, many workers are forced to accept substandard conditions in mines despite the hazards. 11 The income is worth more than both the risk of getting sick and the risk of being caught by the government.
Mercury pollution has begun polluting the water of the Chicamba Lake, an inland fishery. These contaminated fish are unsafe for human consumption, threatening the fishing industry. The Mozambique government has plans to use the lake water to help with water shortages in the more urban areas; these plans would have to be canceled if the contamination became significant. 12
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