Worldwide Snapshot

We are passionate about the possibility of reversing the millennia-old travesty of global mercury pollution resulting from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM). The miners aren’t to blame. They have no alternative to using this potent neurotoxin in order to mine efficiently.

We are inspired by our opportunity to partner with the jewelry industry in the discovery of efficient alternatives so that 10 to 15 million people can mine without poisoning themselves, their families and the world.
We have the ability to fly men to the moon and cars to Mars. Certainly, together, we have the ability to solve this!

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining is “… responsible for the largest releases of mercury to the environment of any sector globally.” Around the world, artisanal and small-scale gold miners work under few regulations to make a meager living, using toxic mercury to extract gold from tiny bits of ore. In terms of amounts, this is roughly 8,000 pounds a day, or 14,000 tons per year.

Artisanal gold mining is responsible for over 37% of the world’s mercury emissions – about 1,400 tons of toxic mercury released per year. The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is responsible for over 700 tonnes per year of mercury emissions to the atmosphere and an additional 800 tonnes per year of mercury releases to land and water, making it the largest anthropogenic source of mercury.

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Together, we can end the mercury tragedy and create a vibrant, healthy world.