Dispatches: Japan Joins Mercury Treaty – Now Act On It

Mercury remains a serious health threat today. Globally, an estimated 1,960 tons of mercury are released into the air, water, and soil every year. Mercury’s biggest use is in artisanal and small-scale gold mining, where the metal is mixed into the ground ore to form an amalgam with gold. The gold-mercury amalgam is then held over a flame so the mercury burns off – turning into toxic vapor – and the raw gold is left behind. I have spoken to many adults and children in Ghana, the Philippines, Tanzania, and Mali who worked with mercury, unaware that the metal can cause brain damage, other illness, and even death.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/02/04/dispatches-japan-joins-mercury-treaty-now-act-it