Artisanal and small-scale gold mining is the largest source of anthropogenic mercury emissions today – despite the availability of technically superior methods. Mercury is used to separate the gold from the ore. To do so, mercury is added to the crushed and milled ore. The resulting amalgam is then burned to liberate the gold. Regular exposure to mercury vapor when burning an amalgam can severely impact human health. The non-biodegradable mercury also travels great distances by bio-accumulating in the environment and food chain.
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