Health Over Efficiency : Abandoning Mercury Use in Small-Scale Mining

"Both large-scale and small-scale mining operations are found in the rainforests of South America. But while the large-scale operations largely comply with the legal and regulatory framework provided by the different governments of the Amazon Countries, the small-scale mining operations fall under the radar of the Amazon Governments because there is a weak state presence in the remote regions where mining is taking place, and the regional governments do not have the necessary resources or manpower to properly monitor and control the small-scale mining industry. The lack of government oversight has allowed for small-scale mining operations to use mercury in the mining process, which is not only hazardous to many diverse species that reside in the Amazon, but it is also dangerous to those involved in the various processes used to extract, refine, and process gold, as well as those living near or downstream from the mining activity.Mercury is used in the small-scale mining industry because the miners are able to use it to efficiently capture gold without having to invest in other, more costly, gold recovery equipment or processes. While these processes may be cost effective, mercury emissions from small-scale mining operations present a real and serious threat to the environment and to the growing populations involved in the mining industry. Although it is relatively safe to handle mercury in its elemental form, the processes being used by small-scale miners to recover and process gold converts elemental mercury into organic methylmercury, or mercury fumes when it is heated. Both can be extremely hazardous to humans and many other creatures in the Amazon. The small-scale mining industry has exacerbated the dangers that mercury poses on the populations in the Amazon Counties, and steps need to be taken to minimize these hazards."