The Real Price of Gold

The man was knee-deep in mud in the 100-yard gash he had cut into the Amazon rainforest. After filtering brown water out of a pan, he found the small, shiny flake he was looking for: a mixture of gold and mercury.

Jeovane de Jesus Aguiar had drizzled liquid mercury into the ground in his makeshift gold mine on the eastern edge of the small South American nation of Suriname, just as he had every few days.

The toxic element binds with gold dust and forms a substance he can pluck out of the sludge. Then he sets the mixture aflame, burning off the mercury into the air, where the wind spreads it across the forest and across borders, poisoning the plants, animals, and people it finds.

Left behind is the gold. That part usually ends up in Europe, the United States, or the Persian Gulf, most often as expensive jewelry.

Twenty minutes up the river, the Wayana Indigenous community is getting sick. The Wayana eat fish from the river every day, and, in recent years, many have suffered from joint pain, muscle weakness, and swelling. They also say birth defects are rising.

Tests show that the Wayana have double to triple the medically acceptable levels of mercury in their blood.

“We’re not allowed to eat certain fish anymore,” says Linia Opoya, a Wayana member, showing her hands, which ache after meals. “But there’s nothing else. That’s what we’ve always eaten.”

The man was deep in the Amazon rainforest.  He was knee-deep in mud in the 100-yard ditch he had cut. He filtered brown water out of a pan. There was a small, shiny flake at the bottom. He found what he was looking for—a mixture of gold and mercury.

At the eastern edge of the small South American nation called Suriname, Jeovane de Jesus Aguiar drizzled liquid mercury into the ground. He did this at his makeshift gold mine every few days.

Mercury, a toxic element, binds with gold dust. It forms a substance he can pick out of the mud. Then he sets the mixture on fire and burns off the mercury into the air. The wind then spreads it across the forest and across borders. It poisons the plants, animals, and people it reaches.

Aguiar is left with just the gold. It usually ends up in Europe, the United States, or the Persian Gulf, most often as expensive jewelry.

Twenty minutes up the river, the Wayana Indigenous community is getting sick. The Wayana eat fish from the river every day. Recently, many have suffered from joint pain, muscle weakness, and swelling. They also say birth defects are rising.

Tests show that the Wayana have double to triple the medically acceptable levels of mercury in their blood.

“We’re not allowed to eat certain fish anymore,” says Linia Opoya, a Wayana member, showing her hands, which ache after meals. “But there’s nothing else. That’s what we’ve always eaten.”

Driven by global scientific consensus that mercury causes brain damage, severe illnesses, and birth defects, most of the world’s nations signed a groundbreaking international treaty in 2013 committing themselves to eradicating its use globally.

But a decade later, mercury remains a huge problem. It has seriously harmed thousands of children in Indonesia. It has contaminated rivers throughout the Amazon, creating a humanitarian crisis for Brazil’s largest isolated tribe. And worldwide, doctors still warn against eating too much of certain fish because the toxic metal floats into the ocean and is absorbed into the food chain.

Suriname, a forested nation of 640,000 people on the northern edge of South America, is a case study in how the problem of mercury has become so unmanageable—in large part because of society’s insatiable appetite for gold.

For decades, mercury has poisoned much of Suriname’s population. Nearly one in five births results in complications such as low birth weight, disabilities, or death, according to one study. That’s twice the rate of the U.S. Yet mercury has also fueled the nation’s economy: Gold accounts for 85 percent of Suriname’s exports, most of it mined with mercury.

“I could work without mercury,” says Aguiar, 51, overlooking his open pit. “But it wouldn’t be profitable.”

Suriname has banned mercury, yet the substance is easily smuggled in and widely used. The Surinamese government didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Scientists around the world agree that mercury causes brain damage, severe illnesses, and birth defects. That is why most of the world’s nations signed a groundbreaking international treaty in 2013. They committed to eradicating the use of mercury globally.

Mercury still remains a huge problem 10 years later. It has seriously harmed thousands of children in Indonesia. Rivers throughout the Amazon are contaminated by mercury. It is creating a humanitarian crisis for Brazil’s largest isolated tribe. Doctors around the world warn against eating too much of certain fish. The toxic metal floats into the ocean and is absorbed into the food chain.

Suriname is a forested nation of 640,000 people on the northern edge of South America. The demand for gold is causing mercury use to become an unmanageable problem.

Much of Suriname’s population has been poisoned by mercury. According to one study, nearly one in five births results in complications. These include low birth weight, disabilities, or death. That’s twice the rate of the U.S. Yet mercury has also fueled the nation’s economy. Gold, mostly mined by mercury, accounts for 85 percent of Suriname’s exports.

“I could work without mercury,” says Aguiar, 51, overlooking his open pit.
“But it wouldn’t be profitable.”

Suriname has banned mercury. However, it is easily smuggled in and widely used. The Surinamese government didn’t respond to requests for comment.

While Western countries, including the U.S., have largely phased out mercury, more than 10 million people in 70 countries—mostly poorer nations across Asia, Africa, and Latin America—still use the toxic element to extract gold from the ground, according to the United Nations (U.N.).

These small-scale miners produce one-fifth of the world’s gold—and nearly two-fifths of the world’s mercury pollution, according to the U.N. and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Mining is the world’s leading source of mercury emissions.

“This is the brutal face of poverty,” says Achim Steiner, chief of the U.N. Development Programme. For many miners, he adds, “the fact that mercury might harm me in 10 years’ time is too far from the reality of survival.”

Large-scale gold miners use centrifuge machines or cyanide, after the gold has been mined. Small miners use mercury for extraction because it is cheap, easy to use, and still available.

“Mercury, for better or worse, is a very simple technology, used for the better part of 2,000 years,” says Luis Fernandez, a Wake Forest University professor who has studied small-scale gold mining. “You can learn how to be a miner in 15 minutes, and you get pretty good results.”

While many countries have banned mercury in mining, enforcement is lax, Fernandez says. Gold mining “is an economic pressure valve for poorer countries,” he adds. And that has only been compounded by the 12 percent rise in gold prices over the past year, to nearly $2,000 an ounce.

Western countries, including the U.S., have largely phased out mercury. But more than 10 million people in 70 countries—mostly poorer nations across Asia, Africa, and Latin America—still use the toxic element to extract gold from the ground, according to the United Nations (U.N.).

These small-scale miners produce one-fifth of the world’s gold. They also produce almost two-fifths of the world’s mercury pollution, according to the U.N. and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Mining is the world’s leading source of mercury emissions.

“This is the brutal face of poverty,” says Achim Steiner, chief of the U.N. Development Programme. For many miners, he adds, “the fact that mercury might harm me in 10 years’ time is too far from the reality of survival.”

Large-scale gold miners use centrifuge machines or cyanide, after the gold has been mined. Small miners use mercury for extraction. It is cheaper, easy to use, and still available.

“Mercury, for better or worse, is a very simple technology, used for the better part of 2,000 years,” says Luis Fernandez, a Wake Forest University professor who has studied small-scale gold mining. “You can learn how to be a miner in 15 minutes, and you get pretty good results.”

While many countries have banned mercury in mining, there is little enforcement, Fernandez says. Gold mining “is an economic pressure valve for poorer countries,” he adds. The price of gold has risen 12 percent over the past year. It is now nearly $2,000 an ounce.

In 2013, the international community signed a broad treaty to take mercury off the market. It was called the Minamata Convention, named for a Japanese city where decades of industrial mercury pollution caused neurological diseases in more than 2,200 residents and even poisoned the city’s cats.

The convention—which 145 nations, including Suriname, have now ratified—contains pledges to ban new mercury mines, close existing ones, and, with some exceptions, halt the import and export of mercury.

The U.S. and the European Union have since banned virtually all mercury exports, leaving the United Arab Emirates, Tajikistan, Russia, Mexico, and Nigeria as some of the largest exporters. Researchers believe that China, which adopted the treaty, remains the world’s largest user of mercury.

The Minamata Convention, however, did not target small-scale gold mining.

“Evidence has shown time and again that if you ban something that people need and there is no alternative, you simply drive them into illegality,” Steiner says.

In 2013, the international community signed the Minamata Convention to take mercury off the market. It was named for a Japanese city where decades of industrial mercury pollution caused neurological diseases in more than 2,200 residents. It even poisoned the city’s cats.

The convention was approved by 145 nations, including Suriname. It pledged to ban new mercury mines, close existing ones, and, with some exceptions, halt the import and export of mercury.

The U.S. and the European Union have since banned virtually all mercury exports, leaving the United Arab Emirates, Tajikistan, Russia, Mexico, and Nigeria as some of the largest exporters. Researchers believe that China, which adopted the treaty, remains the world’s largest user of mercury.

The Minamata Convention, however, did not target small-scale gold mining.

“Evidence has shown time and again that if you ban something that people need and there is no alternative, you simply drive them into illegality,” Steiner says.

Where Aguiar lives along the Maroni River, which forms the border between Suriname and French Guiana, everyone is either a miner or works for one. About 15 percent of Suriname’s work force—which amounts to 18,000 people—is connected to the gold mining industry, one of the highest percentages in the world.

At the mines, workers shoot pressurized water to wash away generations of sediment, cutting into the landscape and exposing the layer they hope contains gold. Then they throw mercury into the water so it will bind naturally with any gold below.

The mercury isn’t hard to come by—and experts believe that much of it arrives from China.

A few hours before Aguiar was tossing mercury into his mine, where he employs seven people, he docked his canoe at one of the dozens of Chinese merchants on the banks of the Maroni. Aguiar bought a kilogram of mercury in an unmarked prescription drug bottle for $250. If he’s lucky, it’ll be enough to mine a half-kilogram of gold, which he can sell for roughly $25,000.

Aguiar lives along the Maroni River. The river forms the border between Suriname and French Guiana. In the area, everyone is either a miner or works for one. About 15 percent of Suriname’s work force—about 18,000 people—is connected to the gold mining industry. It is one of the highest percentages in the world.

At the mines, workers use pressurized water to wash away layers of sediment, cutting into the landscape. They hope to expose the layer that contains gold. Then they throw mercury into the water so it will bind naturally with any gold below.

The mercury isn’t hard to find. Experts believe that much of it comes from China.

A few hours before Aguiar was tossing mercury into his mine, where he employs seven people, he docked his canoe at one of the dozens of Chinese merchants on the banks of the Maroni. Aguiar bought a kilogram of mercury in an unmarked prescription drug bottle for $250. If he’s lucky, it’ll be enough to mine a half-kilogram of gold. He can later sell that for about $25,000.

Elsewhere in Suriname, vendors post listings on Facebook, and cabdrivers offer mercury connections. People across the country say mercury sellers are overwhelmingly Chinese.

Wilco Zijlmans, a pediatrician in Suriname, says the impact of mercury is clear. In a 2020 study he helped conduct, 97 percent of the 1,200 Surinamese women participants had unsafe levels of mercury in their bodies.

In addition to seeing an elevated rate of birth complications, Zijlmans also found that children in Suriname were far more likely today than a generation ago to have delayed brain development, decreased motor skills, and worse language and social abilities.

In other parts of Suriname, vendors post listings on Facebook. Cabdrivers offer mercury connections. People across the country say mercury sellers are mostly Chinese.

Wilco Zijlmans is a pediatrician in Suriname. He says the impact of mercury is clear. In a 2020 study he helped conduct, 97 percent of the 1,200 Surinamese women participants had unsafe levels of mercury in their bodies.

In addition to seeing an elevated rate of birth complications, Zijlmans also found that children in Suriname have delayed brain development, decreased motor skills, and worse language and social abilities. This is far more common than in the previous generation.

The effects are also showing up across the border. The Wayana Indigenous community has about 1,000 members spread across Suriname and French Guiana, which is a territory of France. Those in French Guiana have French citizenship, and French doctors have tracked the spread of mercury in some of the Wayana villages, which are surrounded by more than two dozen gold mines.

“Eventually, this will become like Minamata too,” says Opoya, the Wayana member, who lives in one of the villages on French territory.

Upriver, when Aguiar wants to cash in, he takes his haul to the Chinese merchants who sell him the mercury. Those merchants then head to the hundreds of small gold-buying shops in Paramaribo, Suriname’s capital.

At one shop, the owner, Arnaldo Ribeiro, says he buys just about all the gold that comes through his doors but has little idea where it comes from or whether it’s been mined with mercury. He then resells it to Kaloti Minthouse, a joint venture between the Surinamese government and a gold importer based in the United Arab Emirates.

“We don’t have to prove provenance,” Ribeiro says of the gold he sells.

Kaloti Minthouse then legally exports the gold around the world. That means gold like Aguiar’s, cleaned of its mercury residue, is shipped off to become bank bullion, a necklace, or perhaps a wedding ring—all its documents in order.

The effects are also showing up across the border. The Wayana Indigenous community has about 1,000 members spread across Suriname and French Guiana. Because French Guiana is a territory of France, they have French citizenship. French doctors have tracked the spread of mercury in some of the Wayana villages, which are surrounded by more than two dozen gold mines.

“Eventually, this will become like Minamata too,” says Opoya, the Wayana member, who lives in one of the villages on French territory.

When Aguiar is ready to sell his gold, he takes it to the Chinese merchants who sell him the mercury. Those merchants then go to the hundreds of small gold-buying shops in Paramaribo, Suriname’s capital.

At one shop, the owner, Arnaldo Ribeiro, says he buys just about all the gold that comes through his doors. He doesn’t know where it comes from or whether it’s been mined with mercury. He then resells it to Kaloti Minthouse, a joint venture between the Surinamese government and a gold importer based in the United Arab Emirates.

“We don’t have to prove provenance,” Ribeiro says of the gold he sells.

Kaloti Minthouse then legally exports the gold around the world. Once the gold has been cleaned of its mercury residue, it is shipped off to become bank bullion, a necklace, or perhaps a wedding ring. All of its documents are in order.

Jack Nicas is the Brazil bureau chief for The Times. Fabian Federl is a freelancer.

Jack Nicas is the Brazil bureau chief for The Times. Fabian Federl is a freelancer.