Mercury Treaty Designed to Save Lives

“Once the ore is panned, you put a bit of mercury in. You rub the ore and the mercury with your two hands,” Suzanne told Human Rights Watch Researcher Juliane Kippenberg. “Then, when the mercury has attracted the gold, you put it on a metal box and burn it. When I have finished, I sell the gold to a trader. I do this daily… I know mercury is dangerous, but I don’t know how. I do not protect myself.”

Now, there is a new treaty designed to limit mercury exposure. Human Rights Watch played a key role in pushing for measures in the treaty that could protect tens of thousands of children across Africa, Asia, and Latin America who, like Suzanne, mine gold using mercury.
http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/03/14/mercury-treaty-designed-save-lives