Chemical Hazards in Artisanal Gold Sector

The Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) sector typically consists of small groups or individuals extracting gold with semi-mechanized and low-tech methods. Mining sites tend to have poor occupational safety standards and practices exposing miners to various occupational health hazards. Chemical risks include the exposure to toxic substances such as mercury, cyanide and silica dust. Other occupational health risks include painful disorders of the muscles and skeleton (e.g. from heavy lifting), physical trauma (e.g., from slipping, falling, landslides) or exposure to noise, heat and humidity. Furthermore, poor living conditions in artisanal mining communities can increase the susceptibility to communicable diseases such as cholera, malaria or tuberculosis.