Small scale mining: Immeasurable damage

I learned from the Blacksmith Institute the following: “Almost a quarter of the world’s gold supply can be traced back to 10-15 million poor small-scale gold miners, or artisanal and small scale mining (ASM), scattered about the globe. These miners are also the third largest source of mercury pollution today, however, comprising about 30 percent of the world’s anthropogenic mercury releases.”
“One of three things will happen once the mercury has evaporated. The gaseous mercury may be inhaled by the workers and their families, leading to serious health issues. It may also settle into the surrounding environment, seeping into the ground and contaminating the water supply. It could also rise into the atmosphere, where it circulates for about three months before raining down again. The effects of evaporated mercury effect, not only in the area in which it is released but also on the entire globe equally, is reflected in elevated mercury counts in organisms located far from artisanal gold mining activity.”
http://www.philstar.com/business/2013/10/18/1246421/small-scale-mining-immeasurable-damage