Global Mercury Project
A Global Effort for
Less Mercury,
More Gold, and
Better Health
Miners can protect themselves and the environment by using
Training Sudanese miners
simple kitchen bowl retorts to recover mercury.
In collaboration with the University of British Columbia
GMP
Dept. Mining Engineering, Vancouver, Canada
Bringing Solutions to Miners
The Global Mercury Project is a joint initiative
The GMP introduces affordable and acces-
of the Global Environment Facility, United Na-
sible technology to miners in developing
tions Development Program, and UNIDO. For
countries. Currently GMP is working in six
more information: www.globalmercury.org
countries: Brazil, Indonesia, Laos, Sudan,
UNIDO
Tanzania and Zimbabwe. This effort is fo-
cused on simple, mobile, and reproducible
The United Nations Industrial Development
solutions that can reach many miners
Organization is a specialized agency of the
quickly and efficiently. Mobile training units
United Nations that fo-
work directly in communities and provide:
cuses on relieving pov-
erty by fostering produc-
� Techniques to reduce mercury use
tivity growth. Its activities
� More efficient gold processing practices
help developing coun-
tries with economies in
� Safer gold extraction methods
transition in their fight
against marginalization.
� Testing mercury in people, rivers & streams
UNIDO has 171 member
� Public health training
states. For more informa-
tion: www.unido.org.
� Micro-financing for miners
Water-pipe retort in
Contact:
Zimbabwe
� Environmental management
Solutions for
UNIDO - Global Mercury Project
� Community planning
Vienna International Center
Artisanal Miners
� Strengthening government policies
P.O Box 300, A-1400, Vienna, Austria
Pablo Huidobro: P.Huidobro@unido.org
� National awareness campaigns
Marcello Veiga: M.Veiga@unido.org

Mercury, Health and Gold Mining
Artisanal gold mining creates 30% to 40% of the
world's man-made mercury pollution. Mercury is
a powerful poison which damages the brain and
kidneys, and is very dangerous for developing
babies and small children.
Gold miners and people living in and near mining
communities are exposed to mercury in 2 ways:
� mercury
vapor is
inhaled
Indonesian miner amalgamating gold
when min-
Mercury-gold amalgam from China
ers burn
About the GMP
amalgam,
Global Environmental Equity
and
We are currently witnessing the biggest gold
Artisanal gold mining is driven by increasing
rush the world has ever seen. In more than
� mercury is
poverty in rural communities. At least 100 mil-
50 countries, there are 15 million people
ingested
lion people around the world depend on ar-
working as artisanal gold miners, including 4
through
tisanal gold mining for their livelihood. The
Venezuelan miner burning
million women and 1 million children.
contami-
amalgam in a shovel
GMP supports long-term economic solutions
nated fish
which are healthy, equitable, and sustainable.
The Global Mercury Project is an initiative of
In the end, relief from poverty is the best way
the United Nations to promote safer and
After it is re-
to eliminate mercury pollution.
cleaner practices in artisanal mining commu-
leased into the
nities where mercury is used to process gold.
environment
as vapor or
The emergence of this worldwide gold rush is
liquid in min-
causing unprecedented global mercury pollu-
ing wastes,
tion. Artisanal min-
mercury trans-
ing releases 1000
forms into a
tonnes of mercury
more toxic
every year. The
Tanzanian mother mining gold ore
c o m p o u n d
GMP is introducing
(methylmercury) which is rapidly absorbed by
solutions to alleviate
aquatic organisms and goes up in the food chain.
health and environ-
mental crises in com-
Once mercury has entered the ecosystem, it is
munities and pro-
very hard to remove it. This is why it is so impor-
mote cost-effective
tant for miners to reduce or even eliminate the
practices.
use of mercury.
Training miners in Mozambique
Panning gold in Lao PDR