Mason, R.P., Baumann, Z., Hansen, G., Yao, K.M., Coulibaly, M. and Coulibaly, S. (2019) An Assessment of the Impact of Artisanal and Commercial Gold Mining on Mercury and Methylmercury Levels in the Environment and Fish in Cote d’Ivoire. Science of the Total Environment, 665, 1158-1167.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.393

has been cited by the following article:

• TITLE: Exposure of Mercury from Gold Ming Area: A Case Study in Tendo and Aby Lagoon in Côte d’Ivoire

  AUTHORS: Stéphane Jean Claon, Serge Kouakou Kouassi, Séka Arsène M’bassidje, Laurent Kipré Séri, Luc Kouakou Kouadio, Joseph Allico Djaman

  KEYWORDS: ASGM, Mercury, Sediments, Côte d’Ivoire, Pollution

  JOURNAL NAME: Journal of Environmental Protection, Vol.13 No.9, September 21, 2022

  ABSTRACT: Lagoons of West African countries are seriously threatened by rapid artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) that exposes lagoons to mercury pollution. In this study, the mercury level in the sediments of the Tendo and Aby lagoons in Côte d’Ivoire had been evaluated. A total of 87 samples from 25 stations located on Tendo and Aby lagoons were analyzed by atomic fluorescence spectrometry. The mean Hg concentrations obtained in the sediments of Tendo and Aby lagoons were 0.89 ± 0.26 mg⋅kg-1 and 0.70 ± 0.18 mg⋅kg-1, respectively. Hg concentrations evaluated in the bays of Tendo and Aby during the dry season were 1.38 ± 0.45 mg⋅kg-1 and 1.07 ± 0.31 mg⋅kg-1, respectively. The minimum and maximum total Hg concentrations in the sediments from 25 stations were 0.04 and 3.56 mg⋅kg-1, respectively. Mercury contamination in lagoons during ASGM poses risks of pollution for the lagoon ecosystem and also poses health risks for the population living near these lagoons.