Global Mercury Program: Strategy and Approach

Pure Earth trains artisanal and small-scale gold miners in safe and profitable mercury-free mining techniques to reduce their exposure to mercury and minimize mercury released into the environment. To date, Pure Earth has trained over 1500 miners, including many women, to go mercury-free.

Pure Earth is one of the few organizations working directly with miners to safely close out old mining sites and rehabilitate degraded ecosystems. Through reforestation and other techniques, Pure Earth restores degraded mining concessions to reduce legacy mercury contamination that poisons communities and the environment.  

Pure Earth works with the jewelry industry to solve the global issue of mercury pollution from artisanal & small-scale gold mining (ASGM).

Pure Earth promotes the recovery and responsible management of mercury from contaminated artisanal gold mining tailings.

TSIP is the largest global database of sites contaminated with toxic chemicals. The TSIP aims to locate, assess and document contaminated sites, including from mercury pollution, in low- and middle-income countries, and stores this data in a publicly available database that provides decision-makers with information that is otherwise unavailable through national programs.

1100 miners trained in mercury-free techniques.

3750 children, community members, health workers and government officials educated.

Miners, especially women, report increased earnings.

310 miners trained in mercury-free techniques

550 mining community members and health workers educated

110 mercury sites identified and assessed

10 hectares of rainforest stripped by gold mining restored

200 miners trained in mercury-free techniques

1500 government stakeholders, health workers, miners and community members educated

85 mercury sites identified and assessed

100 retorts/70 water-box-condensers distributed, reducing mercury emissions by 4750 kgs annually

Women’s Working Group organized to give artisanal women miners opportunities to earn more with mercury-free gold

250 mercury sites identified and assessed

10 communities trained to reduce mercury use