Illegal gold mining is particularly problematic. The promise of riches has attracted thousands of migrant workers, who clear swathes of forest in search of tiny flecks of the precious metal. Mercury is often used to separate the gold from other minerals, and an estimated 185 tonnes of it seeps into the region’s rivers, soil and lakes every year.
read more... https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/29/peru-amazon-illegal-mining-deforestation-monkey-sanctuaries-aoe
Bolsonarism dismantled any and all policies to protect the territory, the environment and the health of these peoples, promoting and opening up space for illegal mining in the region, creating the barbarism that we see in the Yanomami Indigenous Territory today. According to the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, “570 Yanomami children died from mercury contamination and starvation.” But Bolsonaro is just a symptom of a system that depends on division and violence to maintain itself.
read more... https://internationalsocialist.net/en/2023/03/brazil
The flakes are recovered after washing the dust with mercury – a practice that is banned because of its health and environmental risks, but which remains widespread.
read more... https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2023/3/29/photos-senegal-gold-rush-brings-hope-and-despair
The miners use mercury to separate gold from mud, and recent analyses show that Yanomami rivers contain mercury levels 8,600 percent higher than what is considered safe. Mercury poisoning can cause birth defects and neurological damage.
read more... https://www.jordannews.jo/Section-21/Americas/The-Amazon-s-largest-isolated-tribe-is-dying-27770
The flakes are recovered after washing the dust with mercury — a practice that is banned because of its health and environmental risks, but which remains widespread.
read more... https://www.digitaljournal.com/world/senegals-gold-rush-brings-hope-and-despair/article
And toxic chemicals like cyanide and mercury used to extract gold are contaminating the region’s rivers and ecological systems with devastating implications for population health.
read more... https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/can-a-new-regional-pact-protect-the-amazon-from-environmental-crime-commentary/
According to the study, about 15 million artisanal and small-scale gold miners around the world risk their lives every day facing hazardous working conditions that include constant exposure to mercury—a potent neurotoxin.
“Over 100 million people rely on artisanal gold mining for their livelihoods, so it’s critical that we work with governments to equip miners with the knowledge and tools necessary to phase out mercury use,” said Ludovic Bernaudat, the programme manager of planetGOLD, an innovative effort led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
read more... https://ethicalmarketingnews.com/un-environment-agency-tackles-mercury-tarnished-gold-mining-industry
And the ecology of the river biome and the lives of its people are imperiled by mercury contamination and environmental degradation. Despite Chocó holding the world’s rainiest lowlands, with close to 400 inches of annual precipitation, there is a lack of potable water in its capital, Quibdó.
read more... https://filtermag.org/environment-drug-war-fight-back/
However, the impact of small-scale mining on local communities and the environment cannot be ignored. The use of toxic chemicals such as mercury and cyanide in the extraction process can have serious health consequences for miners and nearby residents. In addition, small-scale mining can lead to deforestation, soil erosion, and water pollution, which can harm local ecosystems and wildlife.
read more... https://guardian.ng/energy/small-scale-mining-in-nigeria-potential-for-growth-but-at-what-cost-2/
But a study of baseline mercury emission estimates reported by 25 countries – many in developing African, South American and Asian nations – found that these estimates rarely provide enough information to tell whether changes in the rate from one year to the next were the result of actual change or data uncertainty.
read more... https://www.miragenews.com/mercury-emission-estimate-inadequate-to-assess-972066/
Toxic chemicals such as mercury are also released into waterbodies endangering aquatic life. The fish that survive the deadly habitat are eventually harvested and consumed.
read more... https://www.mondaq.com/water/1296250/water-crises-a-situation-of-laws-without-enforcement-
Detailing the environmental impact, López stated, “In the mining process heavy and acidic metals are used, such as mercury, that effectively contaminate water sources. […] This, combined with the widespread deforestation carried out in order to construct the plants, has caused a degeneration of ecosystems.”
A recent study of baseline mercury emission estimates by artisanal gold mining reported by 25 countries—many in developing African, South American and Asian nations—found that these estimates rarely provide enough information to tell whether shifts in the rate from one year to the next were the result of actual change or data uncertainty.
read more... https://www.mining.com/countries-reporting-fails-to-tell-full-story-of-mercury-pollution/
Residents in Penhalonga, a gold mining village in Manicaland province, are calling for the government’s urgent intervention in governing artisanal mining activities that are allegedly polluting their main sources of drinking water with cyanide and mercury.
read more... https://bustop.tv/penhalonga-residents-drinking-water-polluted-with-mercury-and-cyanide-deposits/
However, the impact of small-scale mining on local communities and the environment cannot be ignored. The use of toxic chemicals such as mercury and cyanide in the extraction process can have serious health consequences for miners and nearby residents.
read more... https://guardian.ng/energy/small-scale-mining-in-nigeria-potential-for-growth-but-at-what-cost-2/
“In the mining process heavy and acidic metals are used, such as mercury, that effectively contaminate water sources. […] This, combined with the widespread deforestation carried out in order to construct the plants, has caused a degeneration of ecosystems.”
Toxic chemicals such as mercury are also released into waterbodies endangering aquatic life. The fish that survive the deadly habitat are eventually harvested and consumed.
read more... https://www.mondaq.com/water/1296250/water-crises-a-situation-of-laws-without-enforcement-
Driven by the desire to maximize profits, gold miners resort to the excessive use of technical means such as dredges, heavy machinery, and toxic substances like mercury and cyanide. According to the Initial Assessment Report of the Minamata Convention, these substances, when released into the air during the burning of mercury-gold, mix into the water and soil during the process of amalgamating gold ores, posing a danger to both the environment and humans.
Mercury poisoning leads to huge health problems according to WHO -the UN’s World Health Organisation: which states : “Mercury may have toxic effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, and on lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes. Mercury is considered by WHO as one of the top ten chemicals or groups of chemicals of major public health concern.”
The research also suggests that “the high levels of mercury and copper found in the sediments of Lake Guessabo represent a potential danger, making them a source of endogenous pollution.” This contamination has the potential to endanger the health of those who consume fish from the river or water from the dam.
Detailing the environmental impact, López stated, “In the mining process heavy and acidic metals are used, such as mercury, that effectively contaminate water sources.
The government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva launched a massive operation earlier this year in response to the humanitarian catastrophe faced by Yanomami communities largely due to the disastrous effects of illegal gold mining, which have displaced people, devastated the land and food resources, and contaminated rivers with mercury.
In March last year, mercury and cyanide deposits from artisanal gold mines in Penhalonga were detected in Lake Alexander, about 32 kilometres from the mines that supply water to her home.“We are drinking contaminated water,” the 28-year-old mother of one, who was wearing a traditional white headwrap, told IDN in tears.
According to MNR’s release, the objective of the training project is the use of tools and technologies intended to reduce the use of mercury in the gold mining industry, identify prospective alluvial [gold] deposits, and support capacity building and knowledge transfer [of the tools and technologies].
read more... https://www.stabroeknews.com/2023/03/18/news/guyana/ministry-in-geomorphological-mapping-project/
A recent report on mercury poisoning in Sudan points out that “years of indiscriminate use of dangerous chemicals such as mercury, cyanide, and thiourea without protective measures for miners or local populations, has exposed millions of people across Sudan to lethal risks”.
Moreover, illegal gold mining activities cause significant environmental damage, including deforestation, soil erosion, and water pollution. The use of mercury in the mining process also poses a severe threat to public health, as it can contaminate water sources and food supplies.
They also seized mercury, gold, and ammunition, and they destroyed fuel and other equipment used by miners in an area known as Ouro Mil, controlled by Brazil’s most feared criminal organization, known as the First Command of the Capital, according to federal investigations.
read more... https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2023/0316/Starlink-internet-spurs-schools-movies-and-illegal-mines-in-Brazil
The Yanomami are the largest indigenous group in the Amazon rainforest, and in recent years, illegal gold mining has intensified on their lands, leading to mercury contamination of rivers and fish, deforestation, and a strong social impact on the indigenous population. This has led to a humanitarian tragedy that, until recently, was largely ignored by the authorities as the Yanomami witnessed the destruction of their environment and - as one Yanomami leader tells LBB - the deaths and sexual abuse of its people.
read more... https://www.lbbonline.com/news/asking-if-oscar-nominees-know-the-real-cost-of-gold
Some of the consequences of the increase in illegal gold mining operations are the forced displacement of indigenous peoples, murders and disappearances, cases of modern slavery, destruction of ecosystems, contamination of rivers with mercury, and dynamics of dispossession and territorial fragmentation, the Observatory indicated.
read more... https://dialogo-americas.com/articles/illegal-gold-mining-operations-in-venezuelan-amazon-on-the-rise/
When he took officer earlier this year, Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva vowed to crack down on illegal mining in the country, in particular Yanomami land, its largest Indigenous territory. In recent years, it is estimated that around 20,000 prospectors have contaminated the region’s vital waterways with mercury used to separate gold, according to the AP.
read more... https://www.mining.com/elon-musks-starlink-linked-to-illegal-mining-in-brazil/
Protesters from seven villages in the area of Merowe in Sudan’s Northern State, held a vigil on Wednesday to protest against the use of cyanide in gold and mineral mining excavations in the area, citing concerns over health and environmental damage.
Sudan outlawed the use of cyanide and mercury in gold mining in 2019, but the waste ponds remain. Companies tied to Sudan’s junta imported 4,000 tons of mercury in 2022, 4.5 times higher than the 891 tons imported in 2020, according to the Sudan Transparency and Policy Tracker (STPT).
read more... https://adf-magazine.com/2023/03/protesters-demand-that-sudan-armed-forces-stop-gold-mining-clean-up-polluted-sites/
However, the impact of small-scale mining on local communities and the environment cannot be ignored. The use of toxic chemicals such as mercury and cyanide in the extraction process can have serious health consequences for miners and nearby residents. In addition, small-scale mining can lead to deforestation, soil erosion, and water pollution, which can harm local ecosystems and wildlife.
read more... https://guardian.ng/business-services/small-scale-mining-in-nigeria-potential-for-growth-but-at-what-cost/
They also seized mercury, gold and ammunition, and destroyed fuel and other equipment used by miners in an area known as Ouro Mil, controlled by Brazil´s most feared criminal organization, known as the First Command of the Capital, according to federal investigations.
Facts available to both countries have established that the Ivorians take their water supply from the Bia and the Tano rivers, but pollution resulting from illegal small- scale mining activities in the country is affecting the Abidjan Lagoon, which has become a big problem for the Ivorians.
“In Bolivia, small-scale gold mining is the source of mercury emissions. Hundreds of tons of mercury are released into Indigenous territories every year, posing risks to people’s health and the environment and generating serious environmental injustices,” Marcos Orellana, the UN Special Rapporteur on Toxic Substances and Human Rights, said last year.
read more... https://southafricatoday.net/environment/struggles-loom-as-bolivia-prepares-new-plan-to-clean-up-its-mercury-problem/
In recent years, the success of illegal mining has been such that it has affected the health of hundreds of natives by mercury contamination of their water. In this line, Lula observed that the first peoples have the right to develop within their national borders.
Mr. Jinapor who also spoke on behalf of the Defence Minister said that government has adopted a two-pronged approach to fighting illegal mining, popularly known as ‘galamsey’ which is the main source of pollution of the country’s river bodies.
read more... https://www.myjoyonline.com/government-to-resolve-transboundary-water-pollution-caused-by-illegal-mining/
Mercury is a global pollutant and the focus of an international multilateral environmental agreement (MEA), the Minamata Convention. Most of the mercury entering the environment comes from anthropogenic sources including artisanal small-scale gold mining activities, industrial plants, coal burning, incinerators, industrial mining, and associated processing.
read more... https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13280-023-01842-3
Beam and his mining partners obtained mercury to catch the fine gold in their sluices, but got sick from the vapour when they boiled the mercury off. Still, he sold his claim in November 1858 and went home with a $1,000 profit. He served in the Washington Territorial legislature in 1863 and 1864, and died of tuberculosis in 1866, aged 34.
read more... https://thetyee.ca/Culture/2023/03/15/Year-Made-And-Broke-BC/
The Minamata Convention on Mercury seeks to reduce and, where feasible, eliminate mercury use in the ASGM. However, the total quantity of mercury used in ASGM globally is still highly uncertain, and the adoption of mercury-free technologies has been limited.
read more... https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36897513/
“What is happening in the agriculture sector is very dangerous for today and for the future. The advent of destructive ‘galamsey’ which is widespread throughout the country is all about agriculture destruction.
“The soils far away from the ‘galamsey’ pits are also poisoned by the mercury and the poisonous chemicals that is used in the extraction of the gold,” he said.“In Bolivia, small-scale gold mining is the source of mercury emissions. Hundreds of tons of mercury are released into Indigenous territories every year, posing risks to people’s health and the environment and generating serious environmental injustices,” Marcos Orellana, the UN Special Rapporteur on Toxic Substances and Human Rights, said last year.
read more... https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/struggles-ahead-as-bolivia-prepares-new-plan-to-clean-up-its-mercury-problem/
In garimpo mercury works like a magnet, binding with the gold particles and making them easier to separate from the surrounding ore. This amalgam is then washed to separate any remaining waste, which is then dumped in the river. The Brazilian Federal Police estimate that garimpeiros throw around 7 million tonnes of sediment into the Rio Tapajós per year, much of which contains mercury.
read more... https://dialogochino.net/en/extractive-industries/64000-book-extract-the-heart-of-our-earth-illegal-mining-brazil/
In many places where there are no other means of earning a living, people are turning to artisanal gold mining. But this type of exploitation is often synonymous with poor environmental practices, with the widespread use of mercury. And there are also social issues, with unsafe health and safety practices, and tensions that can emerge within communities.
read more... https://www.archyde.com/africa-economy-south-africa-at-mining-indaba-miners-want-to-better-regulate-gold-panning/
Newly inaugurated leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has ordered a police and army crackdown to wrest back control of the country's largest reservation, the Yanomami territory, from illegal miners, who are accused of poisoning the water with mercury, destroying the rainforest, raping and killing inhabitants, and triggering a humanitarian crisis.
read more... https://www.urdupoint.com/en/miscellaneous/brazils-new-indigenous-affairs-chief-sets-si-1655947.html
The biggest concern was that mining operations make free use of mercury — a chemical that separates gold particles from soil — despite the country having signed onto an international convention to ban the toxic chemical a decade ago.
read more... https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/struggles-ahead-as-bolivia-prepares-new-plan-to-clean-up-its-mercury-problem/
Red Sea state has recently witnessed significant tensions around the behaviour of mining companies and mining practices in which highly toxic chemicals are used. Local residents fear that their drinking water supply is at risk and professionals have warned of a looming environmental and health disaster.
Basins with mining waste (called karta in Sudan), in which gold ore is dumped containing heavy metals such as admium, lead, zinc, copper, arsenic, selenium, and mercury or cyanide, form a long-term hazard second only to nuclear waste dumps.
read more... https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/gold-miners-protest-over-fivefold-fee-increase
After becoming a part to Minamata Convention, Rwanda conducted a preliminary national survey to map out different institutions and priority areas suspected to have mercury, and mercury pollution, and these include Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM), health sector (thermometers, tensiometers, dental amalgams), industry sector (butchery, paints) among others.
One of the last countries legally importing mercury is Guyana, making it a nexus for smuggling mercury into neighbouring countries. 20,000 kilogrammes of mercury are legally imported into Guyana’s capital Georgetown every year from the US, the UK, Russia, and other countries. Increasingly, large quantities are also being imported on the black market, representing a multi-million dollar industry of both legal and illicit trade in mercury.
read more... https://earth.org/mercury-trade/
In Penhalonga, some of the artisanal miners take their ore to a milling plant used by Better Brands, where they use mercury, a toxic compound, to separate gold from ore, while others take it to private millers who deposit the toxic waste into nearby river streams.
Kunaka said with regard to the use of mercury in some mining operations, government had taken a stance to ratify an agreement reached at the Minamata Convention, which aims to reduce and eventually eradicate mercury on the domestic landscape.
read more... https://www.thestandard.co.zw/business/article/200008343/massive-investments-spur-zims-mineral-revenues
“In 2022, the Ministry of Health detected the presence of mercury. We issued sanitary orders to close these sources and responsibly recommend the population not consume this liquid. We work with institutions to ensure people have access to drinking water,” noted Carrillo.
read more... https://ticotimes.net/2023/03/04/costa-rica-has-revealed-a-plan-to-address-the-issue-of-water-pollution-in-crucitas
As a result children were dying from malnutrition and other diseases brought by gold-mining. Among these was mercury poisoning caused by the contamination of the rivers and by extension the fish which the indigenous people ate. One doctor described the area as looking like a “concentration camp”.
read more... https://www.stabroeknews.com/2023/03/05/opinion/editorial/mining-intruders/
The Costa Rican government declared Thursday a state of emergency in several districts in the north of the country after the contamination of drinking water by mercury, a product of illegal mining in a nearby area.
read more... https://ticotimes.net/2023/03/03/water-crisis-rocks-costa-ricas-north-state-of-emergency-declared
The most common mining technique used is dog-hole mining which consists of tunneling, ball milling and gravity concentration, cyanide leaching and smelting. In other areas, mercury is used instead of cyanide. Mercury is far more hazardous to health and the environment.
Tests conducted by Urban Alert in 2021 found mercury and lead levels in Kajola dam were respectively eight and 12 times higher than permitted under Nigerian regulations. Water sampled at the Osun grove, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the outskirts of the state capital, Osogbo, found mercury levels 20 times higher than deemed safe to drink. Lead levels were 10 times over the limit.
read more... https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/brought-down-by-gold-communities-and-nature-suffer-amid-nigerian-bonanza/
Estimated levels of mercury in the blood of participants from Suriname were significantly higher than those in women from a heavy marine fish-consuming population in southeast Louisiana and estimates of the US national average.
read more... https://scholars.uab.edu/display/pub2409661
He explained that mining has caused the spread of diseases and the deterioration of the environment, pointing to ponds that violate specifications and mining laws using toxic mercury and cyanide, and called for the use of safe methods.
read more... https://allafrica.com/stories/202303010071.html
With generous financial support from Norway and Sweden, the secretariat has facilitated the development of technical documents on monitoring of mercury in and around sites of artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) through in-situ and remote sensing methods.
read more... https://mercuryconvention.org/en/monitoring-mercury-and-around-sites-artisanal-and-small-scale-gold-mining-asgm
Another UNEP initiative is taking on mercury in the gold mining industry in nine countries, with plans to scale up efforts in 15 other affected countries. Over 100 million people rely on artisanal gold mining for their livelihoods, so working with governments to equip miners with the knowledge and tools necessary to phase out mercury use is critical. Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the initiative aims to cut mercury use by 512 tons.
read more... https://sdg.iisd.org/news/un-updates-on-mercury-projects-in-cement-industry-gold-mining-cosmetics/
Mr. Larry Kotoe, AEHPMP Project Coordinator, said the five-year project, which began in 2020, is a World Bank-supported initiative with the aim to reduce exposure to mercury and unintentionally Persistent Organic Pollutants (uPOPs) and strengthen institutional capacity to manage and regulate mercury use in artisanal small-scale gold mining and e-waste in selected countries in Africa.
He explained that mining has caused the spread of diseases and the deterioration of the environment, pointing to ponds that violate specifications and mining laws using toxic mercury and cyanide, and called for the use of safe methods.
