Mercury is used in gold mining to extract gold from ore by forming “amalgam” –
a mixture composed of approximately equal parts mercury and gold. Approximately 15 million
people, including approximately 3 million women and children, participate in artisanal small-
scale gold mining (ASGM) in developing countries. Thirty-seven percent of global air emissions
of mercury are produced by ASGM. The recently adopted Minamata Convention calls for
nations to gather health data, train health-care workers, and do awareness-raising in regard to
ASGM activity.
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