Even after all the warnings, several small-scale gold mining operations across the world still use mercury. This often illegal industry is actually the largest source of mercury emissions caused by humans: more than 35 percent of the global total, says the UN Environmental Program.
Currently, mercury use is still widespread in places like the Philippines and Indonesia, where child labor is also still common and small-scale gold miners operate freely without supervision or consequences ordered by the authorities.
The local government estimates there are more than 300,000 small-scale gold miners operating only in the Philippines. On the other side, the country’s authorities acknowledge that laws restricting them are scarcely applied.
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