ENVIRONMEN TAL HEALTH PER SPEC T I VES Mercury Exposure and Health Impacts among Individuals in the Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining Community: A Comprehensive Review

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. 

http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/advpub/2014/3/ehp.1307864.pdf