Presentation Summary My presentation was on mercury poisoning in indigenous communities of the Peruvian Amazon caused by illegal goldmining activities. The article was posted on October 02, 2020 on the Anthropology News website, published by the American Anthropological Association. I often use this source for finding current issues in public health considered in anthropological contexts, which of course is my own background. The article reviews the history of mercury toxicity in the region and describes the population health outcomes for native peoples making a home of this now poisoned environment. Mercury is an environmental pollutant that can travel far from its emission source, where it can damage human health and the environment. Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) is estimated to be the largest source of global mercury emissions, and occurs in the context of power, race, and gender dynamics in mining communities; as well as a long history of encultured racism link
Writings in Anthropology & Public Health