Amalgamation has been used for more than 4500 years in mining processes. Mercury has
been extensively used in South America by Spanish colonizers for precious metal recovery …

This paper presents a review about mercury contamination and human exposure in the
Tapajós River basin (Brazil), one of the major tributaries of the Amazon impacted by …

In widespread informal gold mining in the Amazon Basin, mercury is used to capture the
gold particles as amalgam. Releases of mercury to the environment have resulted in the …

In an oxisol–spodosol system developed on the terrestrial surface of the lower Tapajós
Valley, the determination of total mercury (Hg), organic carbon (C), iron and aluminum oxy …

Health problems of gold miners who worked underground include decreased life
expectancy; increased frequency of cancer of the trachea, bronchus, lung, stomach, and …

In 1994, the French National Public Health Network reported significant mercury exposure of
native Amerindians in French Guiana. In 1997, a study was conducted in the Wayana …

In aquatic systems, bottom sediments have often been considered as the main
methylmercury (MeHg) production site. In tropical floodplain areas, however, floating …

Methylmercury is the most hazardous mercury species known. Due to its high stability, lipid
solubility, and ionic properties, this compound shows a high ability to cross membranes in …

The population living along the riverbanks of the Amazon basin depends heavily on fish for
nutritional support. Mono-methyl-mercury (MMHg) concentrates in fish, which can …

Mercury (Hg) used in gold amalgamation is a major source of contamination in developing
countries. Water, sediments, plankton, fish, and human samples from Grande Marsh, a Hg …