Method for mapping Hg0 emissions from gold shops in artisanal and small-scale gold mining communities.

Gold shops in artisanal and small-scale gold mining communities represent major point sources of airborne mercury pollution. Concentrations of elemental mercury (Hg0) emitted by these shops can be determined using a portable atomic absorbance spectrometer (AAS) with Zeeman correction. These measured Hg0 concentrations can then be correlated to position as determined by a hand-held GPS unit, and the resulting data mapped using a Geographic Information System (GIS). A detailed method for obtaining and analyzing data collected near gold shops in Mazuko, Peru is provided. Maps generated using this method were employed to identify point sources of Hg0 contamination originating from gold shops in ASGM communities and were shared with local city managers to assist in urban planning.•A detailed method is provided to collect and process data, ultimately generating a map that allows for the screening of a community to identify point sources of Hg0 contamination.•Raw data is provided, as well as a video detailing data processing and mapping using a common spreadsheet program and an open-source GIS.•The generated map can be used for determining areas where people may be exposed to elevated Hg0 concentrations and/or occupational mercury vapor exposure, targeted enforcement, or outreach to limit Hg0 pollution.

Mercury emissions from Peruvian gold shops: Potential ramifications for Minamata compliance in artisanal and small-scale gold mining communities.

Ratification of the Minamata Convention on Mercury has led to the establishment of Peruvian regulations limiting mercury concentrations in air to 2000 ng/m3over a 24-hr measurement period. As a result, three communities in Madre de Dios, Peru were mapped during October 2017 to determine Hg0 vapor concentrations in the air. The town of Tres Islas exhibited Hg0 concentrations less than 200 ng/m3: the minimum risk level defined by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. These low concentrations were reflective of a town in the region with limited exposure to artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM). However, the ASGM communities of Laberinto and Delta One exhibited concentrations of Hg0 vapor that exceeded 2,000,000 ng/m3 surrounding active gold shops, where amalgams and processed amalgams were heated with open flames. Laberinto was reevaluated in May 2018 during which time Hg0 levels on the sidewalks in front of gold shops again exceeded 2,000,000 ng/m3. Within the scope of this paper a rapid mapping technique allows for the detection of sources of Hg0 pollution and identifies neighborhoods that require intervention to decrease Hg0 emissions. In addition, this work highlights the difficulties of measuring total gaseous mercury in ASGM communities with gold shops according to the Peruvian law.