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Frontispiece: The Mercury Problem in Artisanal and Small‐Scale Gold Mining
Author(s) -
Esdaile Louisa J.,
Chalker Justin M.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.201882763
Subject(s) - mercury (programming language) , gold mining , mercury pollution , harm , gold rush , pollution , environmental science , environmental chemistry , chemistry , metallurgy , computer science , materials science , political science , law , programming language , ecology , biology
In artisanal and small‐scale gold mining , it is common to use liquid mercury to extract gold from ore. The resulting mercury‐gold amalgam is isolated by hand and then heated with a torch or stove to vaporize the mercury and recover the gold. This practice, carried out by approximately 15 million people in over 70 countries, is the largest source of mercury pollution on the planet. The gold provides a critical source of income for the miners, but the harm to their health and the environment due to mercury release is staggering. L. Esdaile and J. Chalker discuss the mercury problem in artisanal mining, and how the chemistry community can help contribute solutions to this complex environmental and humanitarian issue. For more information, see their Minireview on page 6905 ff.