According to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the miners use between 8 and 13 grams of mercury for every 10 grams of gold recovered. Nearly 95 percent of the mercury used by miners ends up in the atmosphere, or in the soil the miners discard in the process. This constitutes an estimated total of 1000 tons of mercury a year by artisanal miners worldwide. The extent of the problem is enormous—artisanal gold miners are responsible for 30 percent of anthropogenic mercury pollution, according to The Blacksmith Institute, an NGO working on the problem.
http://blog2.upiu.com/environment/2012/03/13/Toxic-mercury-poisoning-Senegals-artisanal-gold-miners/UPIU-2621331611731/
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