A comparison of licensed and un-licensed artisanal and small-scale gold miners (ASGM) in terms of socio-demographics, work profiles, and injury rates

Over the past decade artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) has proliferated worldwide due to powerful economic forces. Upwards of 15 million people may directly be involved in ASGM with another 100 million people estimated to be reliant upon the sector [1, 2]. Several health concerns exist in ASGM communities [3]. Much of the initial concern focused on human exposures to mercury as well as the poor health infrastructure within ASGM communities, although there is now greater awareness and evidence that a multitude of health hazards plague the ASGM sector including, for example, human exposures to many social stressors [4], toxic elements other than mercury [3], and noise pollution [5].
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