Mining industry must spread social and environmental progress to small-scale mines

Artisanal and small-scale mines, normally operating in the informal economy, produce a big chunk of the minerals we use every day -- about a fifth of the world’s gold produced each year, for example. The 25 million or so people working in these mines usually lack access to modern equipment and must use simple tools and highly toxic substances such as mercury and cyanide to extract and separate the minerals.
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