Cyanidation of Mercury-Contaminated Tailings: Potential Health Effects and Environmental Justice

Abstract

There is a variety of health and environmental issues associated with artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), which includes concerns regarding mercury pollution. In many countries, intervention programs and policies emphasized the importance of reducing mercury use by focusing on viable alternative methods to amalgamation that may include a transition to cyanidation. ASGM communities that now employ a combination of both methods may be increasing health and environmental risks by using mercury-contaminated tailings in the cyanidation process. This review provides a current overview of mercury and cyanide use in ASGM including the dangers of centralized processing centers that lack best practices. The combination of amalgamation and cyanidation has the potential to adversely affect many ASGM communities around the world and necessitates additional investigations to determine environmental and health impacts.