By Abbas Nazil
The soaring price of gold has triggered a “mercury boom” in Mexico’s Sierra Gorda mountains, fueling dangerous artisanal mining that is poisoning communities and contaminating the environment.
Rising international gold demand has driven mercury prices to record levels, jumping from $20 per kilogram in 2011 to between $240 and $350 today.
Miners in towns like San Joaquin dig deep tunnels in search of cinnabar ore, which is processed in wood-fired ovens to extract liquid mercury.
The toxic metal, collected in plastic bottles, sustains thousands of families but exposes workers, their homes, and the surrounding ecosystem to severe contamination.
Mexico is now the world’s second-largest mercury producer after China, yielding about 200 tons annually.
Most of the mercury is trafficked to South America, where it is used in illegal gold mining across the Amazon, contaminating rivers and threatening biodiversity.
Despite a 2017 United Nations convention banning mercury mining and exports, artisanal operations in central Mexico remain active in a legal grey area, attracting international buyers and even organized crime.
Researchers have documented alarming health impacts on miners and residents, including tremors, neurological decline, developmental delays in children, and widespread environmental pollution.
Some miners acknowledge the risks but see few alternatives in regions where poverty is widespread and job opportunities scarce.
Government transition programs promised to help miners find safer livelihoods have stalled, leaving communities dependent on mercury despite the dangers.
Scientists warn that the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, home to endangered species such as jaguars and Mexican black bears, faces long-term ecological devastation if mining continues unchecked.
Experts fear that without urgent intervention, Mexico’s mercury trade will increasingly shift into the black market, drawing cartels deeper into vulnerable communities.
For miners like Hugo Flores, the choice remains stark — risk their health in the toxic tunnels or face economic despair.
