Mercury in Artisanal and Small scale mining and Health... Are women Safe?

In many Artisanal Small Scale Gold Mining  areas, women perform the most toxic jobs since
they do not require strength. These jobs include pouring the mercury into the ball-mills or
mixing the mercury in panning, and burning the amalgam, often with their children or babies
nearby. In some areas in Tanzania, women also carry the rocks from the mining sites to the processing
plants.

The most common practice used in small-scale mining to separate gold from ore is mercury amalgamation. This process involves combining mercury with silt that contains pieces of gold. The mercury binds to the flakes of gold and forms a solid mercury-gold amalgam. The amalgam is then heated to vaporize and capture the mercury in an enclosed retort oven, leaving the gold behind.

When gold concentrate containing mercury or mercury-gold amalgam is heated, mercury vapors are released into the air, which — if not properly contained — can be breathed in by miners and those nearby. When you breathe in mercury vapors, about 80 to 85 percent of the mercury enters your bloodstream directly from your lungs, and then rapidly goes to other parts of your body, including the brain and kidneys. Once in your body, metallic mercury can stay for weeks or months. Mercury in the blood of pregnant women can pass through to her developing child.

High exposure to mercury vapor is very dangerous, and can cause permanent brain, kidney, and lung damage. Unborn babies and young children are especially sensitive to the toxic effects of mercury because of their developing brain and nervous systems. Short-term exposure to high levels of mercury vapors can cause lung damage, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, increased blood pressure and heart rate, skin rashes, and eye irritation. Long-term exposure to lower levels can cause health effects that develop gradually, such as tremors, headaches, sleeping problems, memory loss, irritability, poor coordination, and changes in vision and hearing. Children and pregnant women should stay far away from mercury-related activities to minimize their exposure.
Biomonitoring results from several Artisanal Small Small Scale Gold Mining countries show alarming concentrations of mercury in hair, urine and blood of children, women and men. There is a rapidly growing body of knowledge in this area, which has also revealed some symptoms similar to Minamata disease and its adverse effects and damage to the developing brain is a particular concern.

Here are recommendations to stay safe:
1. Avoid direct contact with mercury. If you cannot avoid direct contact with mercury, wear gloves at all times.
2. Avoid using mercury to separate gold from ore.
3. Avoid exposure to mercury vapors.
4. Miners who choose to heat gold concentrate or mercury-gold amalgam should: Never heat it indoors or in an enclosed space such as a tent; doing so may result in dangerously high levels and contaminate the surroundings. Never heat it around pregnant women or children. Properly use a retort to greatly reduce exposure to mercury vapors.
5. Miners who have any contact with mercury should shower/bathe thoroughly and change their clothes before coming in contact with other people, especially pregnant women and children.
6. Avoid washing mercury-contaminated clothing in a washing machine or with other clothes on basin  because it can contaminate other clothes and the septic system, and release mercury into the air.
7. Place all mercury and mercury waste, such as paper towels, newspapers, and gloves in a sealed container like a jar inside of a plastic bag.
8. Properly dispose of mercury-contaminated
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