How one country is grappling with mercury emissions from gold shops
2020; American Chemical Society; Volume: 98; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1021/cen-09810-feature3
ISSN2474-7408
Autores Tópico(s)Energy, Environment, Economic Growth
ResumoThe central market was bustling in Puerto Maldonado, in the Madre de Dios region of the Peruvian Amazon. On one end of the market, diners sat on plastic stools shaded from the oppressive noon heat as food was prepared at the many open-air stands. Vegetables, fruit, and piles of locally harvested Brazil nuts were displayed nearby. Toddlers played on the ground in front of their parents' booths. Across the street, past a row of motorcycle taxis, more children played along the sidewalk, in front of a strip of open-front businesses advertising the purchase and sale of gold. Such a scene is a common one in many towns in the region, which produces an estimated 15–20% of Peru's gold exports. Worldwide, artisanal and small-scale gold mining represents about 10% of the world's gold supply, and some 100 million people depend on such mining for survival, according to the Fairtrade Foundation, which
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