Ghana Ratifies Mercury Convention

People living in Ghana's mining communities may now be better protected from deadly mercury poisoning.

On March 23, Ghana ratified the Minamata Convention on Mercury - a real step forward for communities affected by mercury pollution. Mercury, a toxic liquid metal, is used in small-scale gold mines all over the world to separate the gold from the ore, and then released into air and water. Ghana is one of Africa's top gold producers, and about a million people work in its small gold mines. Workers and nearby communities are directly exposed to mercury.

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