Resources

GLOBAL - UN Environment

The video describes the use of mercury in gold extraction in small-scale mining activities. It further underlines the risks that mercury poses to the surrounding environment and people. It also presents an overview of alternative, environmentally-friendly methods that can be applied in place of mercury amalgamation. 

GLOBAL - Cordy Geosciences

The videos guide the viewer through the entire ASGM process chain and propose the "golden means" - better practices - that can be applied at each step in order to reduce the use of mercury and prevent this toxic metal from affecting the environment and human health.

An early version of this report served as a background document for a WHO technical consultation on artisanal and small-scale gold mining and health, which took place on 1-2 October 2014 in Geneva, Switzerland. The overarching goals of this meeting were to: a)bring together world experts in order to take stockof current developments in the field.

Artisanal Gold Council, 2015

GLOBAL - Alliance for Responsible Mining

The video presents a certification scheme: The Fairmined Initiative that was created by the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM), a non-profit organization.

ECUADOR - Brandon Nichols, NBK Mining Engineering Department, University of British Columbia

An overview of the artisanal and small-scale gold mining practices used in Portovelo, Ecuador. The short film shows how miners extract their gold, crush it, process the ore and recover the gold using both mercury and cyanide. 

An update of the modelling of the intercontinental transport and source attribution of mercury deposition was done in 2015.

This document summarizes the main influences on efficiency and means available to increase it, with suggestions for future actions

This report details the current emissions from coal combustion in India and the emergence of new policies and options for emissions reduction.

GLOBAL - Group on Earth Observations

This video presents the objectives and the background of the the Global Mercury Observation System project funded by the European Union in 2010 to develop a coordinated global observation system for mercury.

The Practical Sourcebook aims to enhance the capacity of governments and other relevant stakeholders to store and dispose mercury wastes in an environmentally sound manner. Read the online version or download the pdf.

Country case study: Mercury added products: Country situation analysis in Bangladesh (Product inventory and emission source identification)

The report describes the two conventions and their approaches and compares them with regard to control of mercury emissions from the coal combustion sector.

In the light of new developments and studies on dental amalgam a request was submitted by the Commission to update the SCENIHR opinion produced in 2008 on the safety and performance of both dental amalgam and possible alternatives, such as resin-based composites, glass ionomer cements, ceramics and gold alloys.

Country case study: Replacing mercury-added products and promoting improved management of mercury-added products waste in Madagascar 

World Chlorine Council Reporting

[ English / Chinese / French / Russian / Spanish / Portuguese ]

Guidance from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on developing national strategies for phasing out mercury containing products used in the health industry.

Survey

Responses

Artisanal Gold Council, 2015

[ English / French ]

Artisanal Gold Council, 2015

[ French ]

Artisanal Gold Council, 2015

[English/ French]

[ Spanish ]

Alianza por la Minería Responsable, 2015

Human Rights Watch, 2015

Artisanal Gold Council, 2015

[ English / French ]

PHILIPPINES - Ban Toxics!

This video presents a program entitled “Eliminating Mercury Pollution in Small-Scale Gold Mining”. The program is implemented in seven major small-scale gold mining areas in the Philippines.