Mercury Free Mining appoints IGI North America President Avi Levy as Director
August 24, 21
(IDEX Online) - International Gemological Institute (IGI), North America president Avi Levy has been appointed to the board of directors of Mercury Free Mining (MFM).
MFM's mission is to reduce global mercury pollution which is caused by artisanal gold mining. The MFM says that such mining is responsible for 40% of global mercury pollution.
The MFM says that more than 15 million artisanal and small-scale gold miners (ASGM) in developing countries who make a bare living have no alternative but to use toxic mercury as part of their gold-extraction process.
The process causes damage to the health of millions of miners but also to the planet at large.
Mercury is a potent, permanent neurotoxin that can poison the human body irreparably, causing neurological disorders, birth defects, and numerous other illnesses. As an environmental contaminant, mercury is exceedingly difficult to remove, the MFM says on its web site.
The effects that mercury has on these miners and their communities is devastating. Mercury from mining pollutes our atmosphere, rivers, oceans, and the fish that millions depend on as a source of protein.
Future health and environmental impacts of mercury pollution can be minimized with the eradication of mercury in gold mining. Mercury Free Mining exists to find a solution to this growing problem, it adds.