Recent reports show that mercury is increasingly being used in illegal gold mining zones across the Amazon. SUNAT, a customs agency, announced that they had seized 4 metric tons of the toxic metal at the Callao Port Terminal in Peru. In a statement, the agency highlighted that the seizure prevented mercury from severely impacting the health of individuals as well as the environment, as can be observed in parts of the country where the chemical is being used for illegal mining.
Mercury, a potent neurotoxin, is listed by the WHO among the top ten chemicals posing the greatest threat to public health. It is known to cause cognitive impairment and developmental delays in children, among other severe health issues.
An Environmental Investigations Agency report shows that between 2019 and 2025, an extensive smuggling operation helped traffic roughly 200 tons of mercury to different nations in South America. Such a large amount of the chemical can contribute to the illegal production of about $8 billion worth of gold.
One trader in particular, Juan José Zamorano Davila, is said to have played a crucial role in this organized crime. Davila, who’s based in Mexico’s Querétaro state, is said to have overseen the procurement, concealment, export and financing of these shipments. This smuggling operation involved Mexico, where the mercury comes from; Bolivia; Colombia; and Peru, where about 75% of the mercury is smuggled into.
All those nations are signatories of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which centers on protecting human health and the environment from mercury, its compounds and anthropogenic emissions. This implies that these countries are in violation of the convention.
EIA US’ Executive Director, Alexander von Bismarck, argues that the time has come to put an end to the illegal use of this metal as it affects communities in the Amazon while benefitting criminals. This view is shared by Julio Cusurichi Palacios, an Indigenous leader of the El Pilar community in the Peruvian Amazon.
Palacios explains that water bodies are often polluted by those seeking to extract gold, with the pollution affecting even fish, which is an everyday meal for many indigenous peoples. He adds that the toxic metal’s contamination affects all individuals of the Madre de Dios region, not just the Indigenous peoples.
Findings show that mercury pollution in some parts of the region is over 5 times higher than the safety levels recommended by the World Health Organization.
While high prices of gold continue to encourage this illicit trade to flourish, biodiversity is continually damaged and health concerns continue to increase. Consequently, there is a pressing need for gold mining around the world to be formalized since regulated companies like Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (NYSE American: PLG) (TSX: PTM) stick to approved extraction methods and materials that don’t pose known risks to the environment or people.
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