US EditionMercury fuels gold mining in Senegal. And it’s poisoning the people who use it
- In 2018, research led by Duke University revealed that concentrations of mercury in soil, sediment, and water samples collected around small-scale gold mining communities in southeastern Senegal surpassed World Health Organization and U.S. EPA safety limits by a factor of 10 to 100.
- The widespread use of mercury persists because artisanal and small-scale gold mining remains illegal, unregulated, and the dominant extraction method across West Africa's informal sector.
- Artisanal mining in Senegal emits an estimated 12 to 16 metric tons of mercury annually, posing serious health hazards such as permanent brain damage and developmental impairments, especially for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
- Gold processors like Sadio Camara earn $370 to $745 per month by processing small gold amounts with mercury, more than double Senegal's $200 average salary, despite government promises to build mercury-free units.
- To reduce pollution, mining activities were halted for a time within a 500-meter radius of the Faleme River, yet enforcement remains limited; experts recommend establishing at least one mercury-free gold processing facility in each village to safeguard public health.
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Mercury fuels gold mining in Senegal and is poisoning the people who use it
The quickest way to separate gold from rock, Sadio Camara says, is with a drop of mercury. She empties a dime-sized packet of the silvery liquid into a plastic bucket of muddy sediment outside her home in southeastern Senegal. With bare hands and no mask, she swirls the mixture as her children look on.
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Leaning Left10Leaning Right2Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution63% Left
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C 25%
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