Small-scale gold mining is the world’s largest source of atmospheric mercury, producing around 2,058 tons a year, and South America accounts for about 53% of that amount, a new U.N. report says. The figures underpin a recent report that Marcos Orellana, the U.N. special rapporteur on toxic substances and human rights, has presented the U.N. Human Rights Commission. In it, Orellana asserts that the 2013 Minamata Convention, a treaty to curb worldwide mercury use on environmental and health grounds, falls short by failing to set a deadline for phasing out the substance in small-scale gold mining. This mining, much of which is illegal or unregulated, often involves the use of mercury to extract gold from sand or ore. Although some countries have tried to address the problem, Orellana recommends amending the Minamata Convention so it prohibits mercury use in small-scale mining operations. But for that to happen... [Log in to read more]