“One-third of all mercury in the global environment is estimated to come from gold mining,” said Stephan Robinson of Green Cross Switzerland.
“For every gramme of gold, two grammes of mercury gets into the environment,” Robinson told IPS.
Like lead, mercury is an element, so it doesn’t break down. Once released into the environment, it is there forever. High gold prices, driven in part by growing demand for jewellery, tempts the poor in Africa, South America and Asia to use mercury as a cheap and effective method of extracting gold from mined soil and rocks.
There are international negotiations underway on a global treaty to restrict production and use of mercury. It is expected to be passed in 2013. but enforcement will be difficult in the remote areas where much of this mining is done.
“We estimate the health of 10 to 20 million people, including many children, is affected by mercury from artisanal gold mining,” said Robinson.
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