The amalgam that is poisoning people

Inside the shack where she lives, Sadio Camara heats a piece of sediment laced with mercury in a metal spoon over an open fire. The toxic metal vaporizes, leaving behind a gold core. There is no mask, no gloves - just the raw materials and her bare hands. Her children stand just a few feet away, watching and breathing in the fumes that are released during the procedure. Mercury exposure can cause irreversible brain damage, developmental delays, tremors and loss of vision, hearing and coordination.

The quickest way to separate gold from rock, says Sadio Camara, is with a drop of mercury. She empties a dime-sized packet of the silvery liquid into a plastic bucket outside her home in southeastern Senegal. With bare hands, no gloves or mask, she stirs the mixture as her children watch.

“I know mercury is not good for your health – that’s why I don’t drink the water it comes into contact with,” she said. “I only process small amounts of gold, so there’s no risk.”

But even small-scale exposure can pose serious risks.

Across West Africa, mercury - a potent neurotoxin - remains the dominant method of extracting gold from ores in the region's growing informal mining sector. Much of it operates illegally and unregulated. In Senegal's gold-rich Kedougou region, women like Camara regularly mine the metal, often without protective gloves or masks, to make a living.

Exposure to mercury can cause irreversible brain damage, developmental delays, tremors, and loss of vision, hearing, and coordination. Mercury, once released, spreads easily through the air, water, and soil. Especially after heavy rains, it pollutes rivers, poisons fish, and affects the food chain.

According to a 2018 study led by Duke University, mercury levels were found in soil, sediments and water near artisanal gold mining villages in southeastern Senegal that exceeded by 10 to 100 times the safety limits set by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In artisanal mining, mercury is known and valued for its ability to quickly and easily combine with gold. Miners mix the liquid metal with the solid metal, and the mixture is then heated - often over a fire, in the open - to evaporate the mercury and leave behind a nugget of gold. The process is cheap, efficient and dangerous.

“If they were hurt, immediately, like with a knife, people would stop. But the thing is, it takes years for the consequences to appear,” said Doudou Dramé, president of the “Observatoire Territoriale du Secteur Extractif,” an organization that advocates for safer conditions for gold miners in Kedougou. “People are throwing it directly into the river. They are burning it in the open, releasing toxic fumes into the air. It is extremely dangerous.”

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining is the largest global source of mercury emissions, surpassing coal burning, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. In Senegal alone, artisanal mining is estimated to release 12 to 16 metric tons of mercury each year.

"Kedougou has rich soil, very rich soil," Dramé said. "Now mercury is everywhere. Our animals consume it and it comes back to us. Even the soil is no longer fertile."

For women, the risks are great

Along the muddy banks of a stream, dozens of women walk on their knees as they scour piles of sediment in search of gold. Children run between mounds of dirt. With little access to clean water, many women spend long hours in local waterways, which they use to work, bathe their children, wash clothes and clean dishes.

“Women are much more exposed than men,” said Modou Goumbala, monitoring and evaluation manager at La Lumiere, a non-governmental organization that supports community development in southeastern Senegal.

This exposure can be especially dangerous for pregnant women and newborns. Mercury can cross the placenta, putting fetuses at risk of birth defects. Infants can also absorb the toxin through contaminated breast milk.

Inside the shack where she lives, not far from the stream, Camara heats a piece of mercury-laced sediment in a metal spoon over an open fire. The toxic metal vaporizes, leaving behind a core of gold. There is no mask, no gloves - just the raw materials and her bare hands. Her children stand just a few feet away, watching and inhaling the fumes that are released during the process.

Camara said she doesn't usually do the burning herself; that task is generally left to men. But she and other women regularly mix and form the mercury amalgam without any protection. One of her children suffers from frequent stomach cramps, although she hasn't noticed any other symptoms. Still, the risks are obvious.

Why do they take risks?

"The easiest way to make money today is through gold mining," Camara said. "Agriculture will not provide you with enough income to provide food or meet other needs."
In Senegal, gold processors like Camara typically process between 5 and 10 grams of gold per month, earning the equivalent of $370 to $745 – more than double the average state wage of around $200.

Senegal ratified the Minamata Convention on Mercury in 2016, pledging to reduce mercury use and pollution. But the substance remains widely available. Most of the country’s supply comes from Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana, with smaller amounts smuggled from dental clinics in Dakar, according to a 2022 report by the Institute for Security Studies.

By 2020, the government has promised to build 400 mercury-free gold processing plants. So far, only one has been built — in Bantaco, about 8 miles (XNUMX kilometers) from Camara’s home. The plant uses gravity to separate the gold from the ore, eliminating the need for mercury. It relies on water and tables that shake the metal. 

“People used it for a while, but then they stopped, because a single unit cannot cover the needs of an entire community,” Goumbala said. “Of course those who were close could use it. But for those who are far away, they can’t afford to transport the ore, process it and then come back. It’s extra work. That’s a problem.”

Camara said he tried the unit, but in addition to being far away, it was less effective at isolating gold – several grams were lost in the process.

Repeated attempts to schedule an interview with the director of Senegal's artisanal and small-scale mining were unsuccessful. The director later said that the department he headed had been closed. He gave no other reason.

Senegal elected the country's new president in 2024, but residents say the problems still remain the same.

“There is a new administration in place, but promises are still just promises,” Goumbala said. He believes the lack of progress is due to limited funding.

In an effort to curb pollution, authorities temporarily suspended mining operations within a 500-meter radius of the Faleme River, which runs through Senegal's gold belt and forms part of the border with Mali.

But enforcement of the decision has been weak as officials grapple with an influx of informal miners, many of whom come from neighboring countries. Critics say the decision barely touches the surface of the problem.

“The solution is to install gold processing units within communities - at least one per village,” said Goumbala.

However, he acknowledged the challenges: the machines are expensive, difficult to maintain, and require replacement parts found only abroad.

There is also resistance among miners, who say mercury is more efficient and profitable.

"We need to convince communities that even if they make more money using mercury, in the end, they will spend that profit on treating the diseases caused by it," Goumbala said. "The long-term consequences are much worse."