Perhaps most troubling is the silent threat of contamination. Heavy metals—mercury, cyanide, arsenic—used in gold extraction seep into the soil and water, accumulating in medicinal plants.
read more... https://evrimagaci.org/gpt/gold-rush-fuels-environmental-crisis-in-ghana-and-brazil-518182
"We have robust evidence that mercury emissions to the environment comes from illegal gold mining activity," says Prof Arrifano in her university lab, where she analyses hair and blood samples.
The government said the initiative marks a major step toward eliminating mercury use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining, a practice that has long posed environmental and health risks.
read more... https://msmeafricaonline.com/nigeria-launches-gef-gold-project-to-formalize-artisanal-mining/
“A lot of scientists assume that it [the mercury] is being taken up by the roots, but no one has tested it. There’s essentially no monitoring of atmospheric mercury around these sites, which is a real shortcoming,” McLagan said in an interview with The Journal.
read more... https://www.queensjournal.ca/airborne-mercury-contaminates-crops-queens-study-finds/
The interactive dashboard provides novel data on unregulated rare earth and other mining activities along Mekong tributaries in the three countries, as well as Vietnam and Thailand, detailing how they are contaminating waterways with various toxic chemicals, including arsenic, cyanide, mercury and other heavy metals.
read more... https://kiripost.com/stories/unregulated-mining-threatens-mekong-ecosystems-communities-and-economies
Rivers have been poisoned with mercury and cyanide, forest reserves stripped bare, and fertile lands contaminated, threatening both livelihoods and future generations.
“Over the last decade, a boom in unregulated mining has been sending dangerous contaminants such as cyanide, mercury, arsenic, and other heavy metals directly into scores of rivers throughout mainland Southeast Asia,” the report stated.
read more... https://thediplomat.com/2025/11/unregulated-mining-boom-pouring-toxins-into-southeast-asian-rivers-report/
Across mainland Southeast Asia, more than 2,400 mines – many of them illegal and unregulated – could be releasing deadly chemicals such as cyanide and mercury into river water, according to research from the US-based Stimson Center think tank released on Monday.
read more... https://www.mining.com/web/toxic-mines-put-southeast-asias-rivers-people-at-risk-study-says/
The study identifies widespread contamination risks in rivers that feed into the Mekong, Salween, and Irrawaddy, including hazardous chemicals such as cyanide, mercury, ammonium sulphate, and heavy rare earth elements, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
read more... https://news.az/news/toxic-mines-threaten-southeast-asias-rivers-and-millions-of-people-new-study-warns
Across mainland Southeast Asia, more than 2,400 mines - many of them illegal and unregulated - could be releasing deadly chemicals such as cyanide and mercury into river water, according to research from the U.S.-based Stimson Center think tank released on Monday.
“Mercury is often used alongside gravity techniques to improve the capture of gold through amalgamation.”
Its concerns: that we were mining illegally and not paying taxes, that we were employing child labour, that we were also hiring foreign nationals in a trade ring-fenced for locals and that we were using dangerous chemicals and mercury which was destroying the environment, amongst many other issues.
read more... https://nilepost.co.ug/opinions/304697/muma-license-why-formalization-of-artisanal-mining-is-good-news-for-uganda
UNICEF and Global Rights Alert have documented child miners as young as 12, women working in mercury-contaminated water and families living deeply impoverished lives despite the high value of gold leaving the ground.
read more... https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/oped/africa-must-rethink-its-place-in-the-global-clean-revolution-5272400
One of the biggest culprits of mercury pollution is small-scale gold mining, where mercury is used to separate gold from rock and soil.
read more... https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/peru-tries-to-end-the-toxic-use-of-mercury-in-gold-mining/ar-AA1QHtf2
Researchers examining Nigerian farmland found that mercury from gold mining drifts into plants via their foliage instead of through underground roots, overturning decades of scientific assumptions.
It is estimated that 75% of Ghana’s rivers are polluted, largely due to mercury and cyanide from unregulated mining activities.
One of the biggest culprits of mercury pollution is small-scale gold mining, where mercury is used to separate gold from rock and soil.
read more... https://theworld.org/segments/2025/11/18/ending-the-toxic-use-of-mercury-in-gold-mining
In environmental discussions, mercury contamination in crops is rarely emphasized. However, a recent study that compared fields only 500 meters from an artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) site with those located 8 kilometers away found that mercury concentrations in leaves and grains were roughly 10-50 times higher at the nearer farm
read more... https://www.azocleantech.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2052
“The large amounts of mercury used in the excavation process flow into rivers, poisoning the flora and fauna while also causing severe neurological damage to nearby indigenous people,” Batista shared.
read more... https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/1229693.html
Gold mining uses chemicals like mercury and cyanide, which can leak into rivers and groundwater. Mercury, used especially in small-scale mining, is toxic and can harm aquatic life and human health.
read more... https://www.wionews.com/photos/how-to-fix-it-5-environmental-impacts-of-gold-mining-1763040595245/1763040595247
Ghana's illegal mining operations, locally known as "galamsey" (meaning "gather them and sell"), exemplify the devastating ecological impact of unregulated gold extraction. Industry experts warn that continued mercury contamination from illegal mining could render 80% of Ghana's water supply undrinkable within the next decade.
read more... https://discoveryalert.com.au/gold-rush-record-prices-international-action-2025/
Researchers examining Nigerian farmland found that mercury from gold mining drifts into plants via their foliage instead of through underground roots, overturning decades of scientific assumptions.
read more... https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/mercury-in-crops-airborne-contamination-gold-mines-nigeria/
Gold mining is turning the Amazon rainforest into a gray, poisoned landscape. First, the trees are cut down, then mercury is added to the rocks and soil to extract the precious metal
read more... https://www.dw.com/en/cop30-how-brazilian-crime-cartels-undermine-climate-efforts/a-74718584
To separate microscopic flecks of gold from surrounding rock, miners blast open mountains, crush the ore, and treat it with cyanide or mercury to draw out the precious metal.
read more... https://atmos.earth/article/the-long-work-of-making-gold-more-responsible/
Beyond carbon release, the mining operations contaminate local ecosystems with mercury, a toxic metal used to bind fine gold particles during processing. Studies have documented elevated mercury levels in sediments and fish downstream of mining areas.
read more... https://www.earth.com/video/amazon-peatland-under-siege-by-gold-miners/
Rivers that once teemed with life now run thick with mercury and silt. Forests are stripped bare and flattened. Farmlands are poisoned and contaminated.
read more... https://www.myjoyonline.com/from-kasoa-to-the-forest-who-will-save-ghanas-water/
In the northern Peruvian Amazon, where the rivers run gold with silt and mercury, the WampÃs Nation has grown tired of waiting for the state.
read more... https://www.butlernature.com/2025/11/13/the-indigenous-patrols-battling-illegal-miners-in-the-amazon/
“In five to 10 years, about 80% of Ghana’s water supply will be unpotable at current rates,” Heymann said. “And what does that mean for migration and challenges around people living in Ghana?”
read more... https://www.miningmx.com/top-story/63125-getting-gold-on-g20-agenda-is-key-in-fight-against-illegal-trade/
When mercury and cyanide flow through the Pra and Ankobra rivers, the cost is measured not only in lost fish but in children’s lungs and mothers’ kidneys.
read more... https://allafrica.com/stories/202511130112.html
And then I came across this really interesting fact, which was that a large amount of our mercury pollution is actually coming from small-scale gold mining.
read more... https://www.dw.com/en/livingplanetdwcom-minamata-convention-mercury-pollution/audio-74625639
To separate microscopic flecks of gold from surrounding rock, miners blast open mountains, crush the ore, and treat it with cyanide or mercury to draw out the precious metal.
read more... https://atmos.earth/article/the-long-work-of-making-gold-more-responsible/
Okunlola said that illegal gold miners were contaminating the Osun River, which surrounding communities use as a source of water, over time because of the chemicals and substances they used in gold mining.
However, mercury gold mining continues to account for over 35% of total global mercury emissions.
A global mercury conference in Geneva faced sharp criticism Friday from environmental and Indigenous groups for failing to take stronger steps against mercury use in small-scale gold mining.
read more... https://www.courant.com/2025/11/08/mercury-treaty-summit-criticized-for-inaction-on-gold-mining-crisis/
Galamsey, the rampant mining that is practiced around the country, has wreaked havoc on the river, contaminating significant portions with cyanide and mercury.
read more... https://www.africanews.com/2025/11/09/battling-galamsey-community-efforts-against-illegal-mining-in-ghana/
The illegal mining has contaminated significant portions of Ghana’s water bodies with cyanide and mercury, according to government authorities and environmental groups.
read more... https://apnews.com/article/ghana-illegal-mining-priest-gold-community-patrols-87b50310007a6f15620203754ddf4f1d
Authorities said samples of sediment and other materials were collected for forensic analysis to trace their origin and detect hazardous substances such as mercury and cyanide. Residents were also tested for possible toxic exposure linked to gold mining activities.
read more... https://dredgewire.com/brazil-cracks-down-on-illegal-dredging-in-amazon/
Despite the growing crisis of mercury contamination in the Amazon, Africa and parts of Asia caused by mercury use in small-scale gold mining (also called artisanal and small-scale gold mining, ASGM), at the Sixth Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention this week, delegates failed to take strong action toward amending the Convention to ban this use of mercury.
read more... https://www.pressenza.com/2025/11/mercury-treaty-fails-to-address-the-gold-mining-crisis/
Artisanal or small-scale gold mining tops the list as the largest source of global mercury emissions.
Mercury from illegal mining and the toxic chemicals used in cocaine processing have poisoned waterways and soil.
read more... https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/how-the-amazon-crisis-is-reshaping-responses-to-environmental-crime/
When mercury pollution makes headlines, it's often linked to fish and human health. But there's another big source of mercury pollution that's affecting millions of people across the world - artisanal and small-scale gold mining. This episode looks at efforts in South America to reduce mercury use in mining - and what that means for people's health and the future of the Amazon.
read more... https://www.dw.com/en/livingplanetdwcom-minamata-convention-mercury-pollution/audio-74625639
Agricultural lands, particularly crucial cocoa farms, have been poisoned by toxic water. Rivers have become heavily contaminated as a result of mercury and cyanide used by illegal miners.
The United Nations warned that mercury contamination from illegal gold mining in Colombia’s Atrato River basin has created a “serious and ongoing human rights crisis,” threatening the health and survival of Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities who depend on the river for food, water and culture.
The health risks are stark and scientifically documented. Artisanal miners and processors commonly use mercury and cyanide to separate gold from ore; these chemicals contaminate soil, water and food chains.
The Agency highlighted ongoing national initiatives, including the development of a comprehensive mercury inventory, the introduction of mercury-free technologies in gold mining, and the enforcement of stricter environmental compliance measures.
Mercury contamination, though largely phased out from industrial operations in developed nations, remains prevalent in artisanal gold mining sectors. According to environmental impacts of gold mining assessments, mercury releases contribute to both local and global contamination cycles.
read more... https://discoveryalert.com.au/gold-mining-environmental-impact-2025/
The group has helped countries develop national action plans to eliminate mercury use – extremely hazardous to the health of miners – in small-scale goldmining operations.
read more... https://www.globalissues.org/news/2025/11/03/41497
During the operation, samples of sand, fabric, and other materials used in gold extraction were collected and submitted for forensic analysis to identify their composition, detect hazardous substances such as mercury and cyanide, and trace their origin.
In Para, illegal gold mining has devastated rivers and tributaries, fueling deforestation and mercury poisoning
read more... https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/cop/pickaxes-ai-cop30-host-state-holds-past-future-amazon-mining-2025-11-04/
It is especially dangerous for children and pregnant women. Mercury pollution often results from industrial activities, including small-scale gold mining, and can travel long distances through air and water.
read more... https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/11/1166254
To the taxpayer, he said, is the burden of incurring in the long-term a medical health bill for the illegal miners and the communities who are exposed to water contaminated by the elemental mercury.
Deep in the Amazon, women say they fear getting pregnant. Rivers that have been the lifeblood of their people now carry mercury from illegal gold mining, threatening the health of their unborn children.
I cannot look upon our rivers without feeling the anguish of the communities who rely on them. Mercury and cyanide, poured recklessly into gold-processing operations, seep into wells and aquifers.
read more... https://www.newsghana.com.gh/the-slow-death-of-our-motherland/
Rivers that have been the lifeblood of their people now carry mercury from illegal gold mining, threatening the health of their unborn children.
Across the mineral-rich regions of Ghana, from Tarkwa to Dunkwa, illegal mining pits stretch endlessly, cutting deep scars into the land. Rivers such as Pra, Offin, and Ankobra once flowed clear, but today they carry the heavy burden of mercury, cyanide, and silt.
read more... https://www.modernghana.com/news/1445092/galamsey-gold-or-green-future.html
For Indigenous families in the Munduruku territory, the river that once sustained generations has become a source of fear. Mercury used by miners to extract gold has contaminated waterways, fish, and — researchers now suspect — developing fetuses, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
read more... https://news.az/news/scientists-probe-link-between-amazon-gold-mining-and-indigenous-childrens-disabilities
