Ghana has the highest mercury emissions in Africa, but the problem is widespread, TheEconomist reported. In the past few years, tens of thousands of small-scale mining sites have surfaced across other parts of Africa, as well as Asia and Latin America.
One of mercury’s amazing qualities is its ability to attract gold particles and form a gold-mercury mix. It’s a fascinating substance and one directly tied to the income of a lot of people. When the gold-mercury mix is burned, the mercury turns to gas and leaves behind pure raw gold. It is cheap and easy to mine gold this way, according to HumanRightsWatch.
Ghana’s mining law allows the use of mercury for small-scale gold mining in quantities considered “reasonably necessary.” Mercury is readily available for sale in Ghana’s mining towns. Shops sell it in small quantities or large — too heavy for one person to lift. Traders in neighboring countries travel there to buy it.
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