Artisanal mining

UNDP (1999) Artisanal mining for sustainable livelihoods. New York, United Nations Development Programme. 

Mercury has been used in gold and silver mining since Roman times. It was estimated that in the period between 1550 and 1930, over 260000 tons of mercury were released into the biosphere due to this activity (de Lacerda 1997). Today, a great deal of mercury used in developing countries is spent in small-scale, artisanal mining of gold and silver. There are some estimates... 

Hinton, J., Veiga, M. M., BeinhoiF, C. (2003). Women and artisanal mining Gender roles and the road ahead. In G. Hilson (Ed.), The socio-economic impacts of artisanal and small scale mining in developing countries. Lisse A.A. Balkema and Swets. 

Among the merchants, continued Lemery, we find two general species of antimony, die unworked mineral and die artificial die former is taken from the mine loaded or mixed with many rock fragments, which the artisans call gangue.. . . This kind of antimony is not very common at die apodiecaries shops because it does not sell well.. . . ... 

Mercury is mined predominantly as HgS in cinnabar ore and is then converted commercially to a variety of chemical forms. Key industrial and commercial applications of mercury are found in the electrolytic production of chlorine and caustic soda the manufacture of electrical equipment, thermometers, and other instruments fluorescent lamps dental amalgam and artisanal gold production. Use in pharmaceuticals and in biocides has declined substantially in recent years, but occasional use in antiseptics and folk medicines is still encountered. Thimerosal, an organomercurial preservative that is metabolized in part to ethylmercury, has been removed from almost all the vaccines in which it was formerly present. Environmental exposure to mercury from the burning of fossil fuels, or the bioaccumulation of methylmercury in fish, remains a concern in some regions of the world. Low-level exposure to mercury released from dental amalgam fillings occurs, but systemic toxicity from this source has not been established. 

Slimy and sticky, or tenacious, of the nature of marble, and obtained from mines. That Ochre which is found in mines and by rivers, being parched by the heat either of the earth or the sun, is changed into native toddle, and consequently into a kind of clay. Ochre which begins to be changed into ruddle, but is still partly Ochrine, receives its colour from the sun or earth. Artisan s ruddle is made from artificially burnt Ochre. Manufactured Ochre is made from Lead. 

Note that releases to aquatic and terrestrial environments — as well as atmospheric releases from a number of other sources - are not included in the table, because no recent global estimates have been made.. Considered underestimated by authors of the inventory.. Emissions from artisanal gold mining are not included in the estimation of Pirrone et al. (2001). Represents total of the sources mentioned in this table, not all known sources. 

The Mundus included a vast array of descriptions of mining chemistry, metallurgical chemistry, and spagyrical (pharmaceutical) chemistry as well as chemistry useful to artists and artisans. Most notable, from the historical perspective, is his disbelief in alchemy, which was expounded m the Mundus. Perhaps not surprisingly, Boyle demurred at paying forty shillings for It. " ... 

Guizhou (China) 9.3-40,000 Abandoned Hg mine, artisanal Hg mining Li et al. (2011)... 

Li P, Feng X, Qiu G, Li Z, Fu X, Sakamoto M, liu X, Wang D (2008) Mercury exposures and symptoms in smelting workers of artisanal mercury mines in Wuchuan, Guizhou, China, Environ Res 107 108-114... 

Li P, Feng X, Qiu G, Shang L, Wang S (2011) Mercury poUution in Wuchuan mercury mining area, Guizhou, Southwestern China the impacts from large scale and artisanal mercury mining. Environ Int 42 59-66... 

Tsurukawa N, Prakash S, Manhart A. Social impacts of artisanal cobalt mining in Katanga. Democratic Republic of Congo 2011 [cited 2014 Aug 10]. Available from http //www.oeko.de/oekodoc/ 1294/2011-419-en.pdf... 

Mining during the Middle Ages is marked by the appearance of the free miner and the free mining towns. The miner developed from a feudal serf to a free artisan. The development took several centuries and coincided with a perfection of mining technique, which was due in part to this very process. 

Nelson et al. 2012). The major contributions are the following fossU-fuel fired power plants (810 Mg yr ), artisanal small scale gold mining (400 Mg yr ), non-ferrous metals manufacturing (310 Mg yr ), cement production (236 Mg yr ), waste disposal (187 Mg yr ) and caustic soda production (163 Mg - yi ") (Pirrone et al. 2010). 

CASM. (2003). Information material on artisanal and small-scale mining. Washington, DC World Bank, Communities and Small Scale Mining. 

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