- Filipino Miners in Bolivia
- Roadmap For Cleanup
- More Pilot Projects on the Way
Blacksmith brought Filipino gold miners to Latin America in 2013 to test and teach the Benguet method, (sometimes known as the “borax method“) to artisanal miners in Bolivia.
If successful, the method could dramatically reduce the use of toxic mercury in small-scale gold mining across Latin America and the rest of the world. We are conducing similar tests in other countries, including Indonesia.
To help cleanup efforts, Blacksmith also identified, assessed and added over 80 polluted sites across five Latin American countries to the Blacksmith database.
In addition, two pilot projects implemented within the framework of the Global Alliance of Health and Pollution are being carried out in the cities of Montevideo in Uruguay and Buenos Aires in Argentina.
