Centre for NanoScale Science and Technology, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Sturt Road, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia.
Chemistry. 2018 May 11;24(27):6905-6916. doi: 10.1002/chem.201704840. Epub 2018 Feb 5.
Mercury-dependent artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is the largest source of mercury pollution on Earth. In this practice, elemental mercury is used to extract gold from ore as an amalgam. The amalgam is typically isolated by hand and then heated-often with a torch or over a stove-to distill the mercury and isolate the gold. Mercury release from tailings and vaporized mercury exceed 1000 tonnes each year from ASGM. The health effects on the miners are dire, with inhaled mercury leading to neurological damage and other health issues. The communities near these mines are also affected due to mercury contamination of water and soil and subsequent accumulation in food staples, such as fish-a major source of dietary protein in many ASGM regions. The risks to children are also substantial, with mercury emissions from ASGM resulting in both physical and mental disabilities and compromised development. Between 10 and 19 million people use mercury to mine for gold in more than 70 countries, making mercury pollution from ASGM a global issue. With the Minamata Convention on Mercury entering force this year, there is political motivation to help overcome the problem of mercury in ASGM. In this effort, chemists can play a central role. Here, the problem of mercury in ASGM is reviewed with a discussion on how the chemistry community can contribute solutions. Introducing portable and low-cost mercury sensors, inexpensive and scalable remediation technologies, novel methods to prevent mercury uptake in fish and food crops, and efficient and easy-to-use mercury-free mining techniques are all ways in which the chemistry community can help. To meet these challenges, it is critical that new technologies or techniques are low-cost and adaptable to the remote and under-resourced areas in which ASGM is most common. The problem of mercury pollution in ASGM is inherently a chemistry problem. We therefore encourage the chemistry community to consider and address this issue that affects the health of millions of people.
汞依赖的手工和小规模采金业（ASGM）是地球上最大的汞污染来源。在这种做法中，元素汞被用于从矿石中提取金作为汞齐。通常通过手工将汞齐分离，然后加热-通常使用火炬或炉子-蒸馏汞并分离金。ASGM 每年释放的尾矿和蒸发汞超过 1000 吨。矿工面临着严峻的健康影响，吸入的汞会导致神经损伤和其他健康问题。由于这些矿山附近的水和土壤受到汞污染，以及随后在食物主食（如鱼类-许多 ASGM 地区饮食蛋白质的主要来源）中的积累，这些社区也受到影响。儿童面临的风险也很大，ASGM 的汞排放导致身体和精神残疾以及发育受损。在 70 多个国家，有 1000 万至 1900 万人使用汞来开采黄金，因此 ASGM 造成的汞污染是一个全球性问题。随着《关于汞的水俣公约》今年生效，有政治动机来帮助克服 ASGM 中的汞问题。在这方面，化学家可以发挥核心作用。在这里，审查了 ASGM 中的汞问题，并讨论了化学界如何为解决这一问题做出贡献。引入便携式和低成本的汞传感器、廉价且可扩展的修复技术、防止鱼类和粮食作物吸收汞的新方法以及高效且易于使用的无汞采矿技术，这些都是化学界可以提供帮助的途径。为了应对这些挑战，至关重要的是，新技术或技术必须具有成本效益，并能适应 ASGM 最常见的偏远和资源匮乏地区。ASGM 中的汞污染问题本质上是一个化学问题。因此，我们鼓励化学界考虑并解决这个影响数百万人健康的问题。
