GLOBAL TRENDS IN ARTISANAL AND SMALLSCALE MINING .
Artisanal and smallscale mining is also the source of the largest releases of mercury, estimated at . 1,400 tonnes per year in 2011 according to the Minamata Convention. Exposure to mercury can have serious health impacts, including irreversible brain damage. Mercury is . also difficult to contain and can be toxic at even very small doses. It can be transported long .
![whatsapp](/images/whatsapp.png)