Guyana: Mercury and Gold

 On January 13 of this year, under the auspices of the UN, 140 countries signed the Minamata Convention on Mercury. This will be opened for signature by governments at a Diplomatic Conference in October 2013 in Japan. It will enter into force once 50 countries have ratified it or otherwise agreed to be bound. This can spell doom for our gold industry.
Unfortunately, burning is still the preferred method used by artisanal miners in which mercury released to the atmosphere represents as much as 50% of that introduced into the amalgamation process. However, when amalgamation is conducted properly and retorts are used, very little mercury is lost to the environment (as low as 0.05%).
http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2014/04/27/mercury-and-gold-2/