Gold mining is destroying the Amazon

 For every gram of gold extracted, an estimated 4.63 grams of toxic mercury are released into the environment, contaminating waterways and causing severe harm to biodiversity and human health.

read more... https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVPfqEDjXRM/

Gold mining pollutes Bulawayo's water sources

 Illegal gold miners operating along the banks of dams supplying Bulawayo are worsening water pollution by releasing mercury and other toxic chemicals, city officials have warned.

read more... https://bulawayo24.com/index-id-news-sc-national-byo-262470.html

Illegal Gold Mining Surges Into New Parts of Peru’s Amazon, Threatening Rivers and Lives

 The expansion is accelerating deforestation, contaminating rivers with mercury and exposing remote communities to violence and organized crime, even as the government says it is stepping up enforcement.

read more... https://www.thenationalherald.com/illegal-gold-mining-surges-into-new-parts-of-perus-amazon-threatening-rivers-and-lives/

Proposed ‘community mines’ in Sumatra raise red flags

 Hendro spent more than five years living with small-scale gold miners on the slopes of Mount Halimun, south of Jakarta, where around 1,000 families suffered the effects of mercury and sodium cyanide, both of which are used to separate gold from ore.

read more... https://www.eco-business.com/news/proposed-community-mines-in-sumatra-raise-red-flags/

Illegal Gold Mining in the Brazilian Amazon: Environmental Degradation in Yanomami Indigenous Lands, and Regulatory Failures

 It is no longer just about gold exploitation; it is about the violence of indigenous territorial invasions and the long-term contamination of rivers and forests with mercury, leaving a trail of toxic destruction that affects the lives of the people who live there.

read more... https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/sd.70821

Stakeholders urge government to tighten Mining Act to halt mercury smuggling

 The government has been urged to revise the Minerals and Mining Act to deter the smuggling and use of mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) across Ghana read more... .https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/business/Stakeholders-urge-government-to-tighten-Mining-Act-to-halt-mercury-smuggling-2022857

How mercury used in gold mining can end up in your food

 The lake feeds their families, water their crops and sustains their livestock. But upstream, small-scale gold miners are using mercury to separate gold from soil and much of that toxic metal ends up in the same streams that flow into the lake and rivers around.

read more... https://www.tnx.africa/county/article/2001541342/how-mercury-used-in-gold-mining-can-end-up-in-your-food

Sumatra province plan to permit ‘community’ mines alarms civil society

 

• The small-scale gold mining sector is responsible for lasting environmental damage to both environment and public health, owing in large part to the use of mercury, a banned heavy metal and neurotoxin, to separate gold particles from ores retrieved from valley sides and river basins.
• read more... https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/sumatra-province-plan-to-permit-community-mines-alarms-civil-society/

Wasting wealth

 Other challenges which more efficient regulation in the sector will help to address include environmental degradation manifesting as deforestation, water contamination and land despoliation, as well as health risks, especially from the use of mercury for processing. All of these make gold a source of wealth depletion rather than wealth replenishment in Nigeria.

read more... https://thenationonlineng.net/wasting-wealth/

Gold fever hits South Africa after lucky find in cattle pen

 Dangerous chemicals like mercury and sodium cyanide are used to separate the gold from the ore.

read more... https://nz.news.yahoo.com/gold-fever-hits-south-africa-002842396.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAEAj6IJ1orryOZEds3NMANt4Ehvg48jgMpi5wbd7y5MiOJlA13keirVBGRqozFpqyNTpcDnvhsMsCDmcWbjd7p2w2Tb8RrbDZH_9EFnvf1Bw8_03YZ6xXN9E0NxIIL4zRPIOPHeqsu4WaSYtB7zfCP57wdGJZA0VdiHMIaPHYasz

Environmental Expert: Amu River in Badakhshan Diverts Toward Tajikistan Due to Gold Mining

 Najibullah Sadid, an environmental and water resources expert, has warned that the Amu River in Shahr-e-Buzurg district of Badakhshan is diverting toward Tajikistan due to unregulated gold extraction.

read more... https://8am.media/eng/environmental-expert-amu-river-in-badakhshan-diverts-toward-tajikistan-due-to-gold-mining/

Booming Indicators, Dying Rivers: Ghana under Chronic Environmental Poisoning

 Galamsey is not merely an illegal activity. It is a biochemical assault on the Republic. Mercury used in gold amalgamation does not disappear. It transforms into methylmercury in aquatic systems and bioaccumulates through fish consumed by families far removed from mining pits.

read more... https://www.myjoyonline.com/booming-indicators-dying-rivers-ghana-under-chronic-environmental-poisoning/

Mercury Pollution, Sources, Control Measures, Minamata Convention

 Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining: ASGM contributes about 37.7% of global anthropogenic mercury emissions and releases nearly 838 tonnes annually into the air. Around 10 to 20 million people work in this sector worldwide, often using mercury daily to extract gold.... Read more at: https://vajiramandravi.com/current-affairs/mercury-pollution/

read more... https://vajiramandravi.com/current-affairs/mercury-pollution/

Mozambique: CIP demands explanation about end of mining suspension in Manica

 The main problem is the use of mercury in washing gold. Mercury is highly toxic, but mining operations have made little effort to reduce their use of it. Analysis of the waters of the Manica rivers and of the Chicamba reservoir has revealed the presence not only of mercury, but also of other heavy metals, including lead, cadmium and arsenic.

read more... https://clubofmozambique.com/news/mozambique-cip-demands-explanation-about-end-of-mining-suspension-in-manica/

Brazil mining boss sentenced for illegal gold operation on Indigenous land

 Thousands of miners invaded Yanomami land, and with them came a 330% increase in deaths from malnutrition, mostly among young Indigenous children. A 2023 health survey found that almost 70% of the Yanomami people had mercury in their bodies. Mercury is commonly used to amalgamate gold. Miners also repeatedly opened fire on Yanomami communities.

read more... https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/brazil-mining-boss-sentenced-for-illegal-gold-operation-on-indigenous-land/

Ecosystem destruction from galamsey is altering Ghana’s weather, NGO cautions

  Mrs Ofori-Yeboah explained that the use of mercury and cyanide in gold extraction posed long-term environmental and public health risks and called for stricter enforcement of mining regulations and sustained restoration of degraded lands.

read more... https://www.msn.com/en-xl/africa/ghana/ecosystem-destruction-from-galamsey-is-altering-ghana-s-weather-ngo-cautions/ar-AA1U7qlF?apiversion=v2&domshim=1&noservercache=1&noservertelemetry=1&batchservertelemetry=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1

Exposure to galamsey-linked pollution could trigger acute kidney disease – Pediatric Society

 “We have data from adults that clearly shows that exposure to mercury causes or is associated with chronic kidney disease, and if they are present in adults, they are happening in our kids as well,” Dr Goka said.

read more... https://www.myjoyonline.com/exposure-to-galamsey-linked-pollution-could-trigger-acute-kidney-disease-pediatric-society/

Illegal mining chokes Bulawayo’s water sources

 Concern was also raised that illegal miners are using mercury, cyanide and other hazardous chemicals in and around rivers and dam catchments

read more... https://cajnewsafrica.com/2026/02/06/illegal-mining-chokes-bulawayos-water-sources/

Gold rush in Asia fuels mercury pollution

 It is estimated that four-fifths of Paracale’s residents rely on gold mining. Miners gather ore from riverbeds, mines and even metres-deep pools of mud. Many mix it with mercury, which bonds to any gold particles lodged in the ore. When the mixture is heated, the mercury evaporates and leaves gold behind.

read more... https://dialogue.earth/en/pollution/gold-rush-in-asia-fuels-mercury-pollution/

Ghana sees alarming increase in Kidney disease among children and adults

 Dr Osei Tutu also expressed concern about environmental factors, noting that illegal mining activities, ‘galamsey’ in some communities, have led to severe water pollution, posing an additional risk to kidney health.

read more... https://www.myjoyonline.com/ghana-sees-alarming-increase-in-kidney-disease-among-children-and-adults/

Ecuador stops mining in three provinces due to environmental damage

 Ines Manzano, Minister of Environment and Energy in Ecuador, announced on Monday that the country has halted all mining and mineral processing operations in three provinces due to the environmental damage caused by illegal'mining.

read more... https://energynews.oedigital.com/mining/2026/02/02/ecuador-stops-mining-in-three-provinces-due-to-environmental-damage

Tonnes of Toxic Waste from Gold Mining This Year

 This counter tracks the enormous volume of toxic waste generated by gold mining operations worldwide. The gold mining industry generates approximately 180 million tonnes of toxic waste annually, often containing dangerous chemicals like arsenic, lead, mercury, and cyanide.

read more... https://statspanda.com/LiveCounters/Tonnes%20of%20toxic%20waste%20from%20gold%20mining%20this%20year