Analyzing Mercury in the Peruvian Amazon-Assessing the Impact of Illegal Artisanal Gold Mining

For thousands of years, mercury has been used for gold extraction, since it forms amalgams that helps miners separate fine gold particles from ore bearing sediments. Even now, an estimated approximately 20% of global gold production uses mercury. However, this use of mercury has resulted in large-scale environmental contamination of watersheds and communities in over 80 countries. Prof. Luis E. Fernandez and his team have focused on investigating the extent of mercury contamination in Peruvian Amazon, a region where 185 tons of mercury each year are released, and its effects on humans and wildlife. Their research represents one of the first systematic studies of the consequences of long-term exposure to mercury in recently contacted indigenous communities, and for rapidly growing region that will have to deal with its legacy for decades or even centuries to come.