As Global Demand for Gold Grows, UN Mercury Head Warns Toxic Fumes Put Women in a Motherhood Dilemma By Kizito Makoye Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service.

As Global Demand for Gold Grows, UN Mercury Head Warns Toxic Fumes Put Women in a Motherhood Dilemma By Kizito Makoye https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/06/as-global-demand-for-gold-grows-un-mercury-head-warns-toxic-fumes-put-women-in-a-motherhood-dilemma/ SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Jun 5 2026 (IPS) - Ask any woman miner in the Katoro goldfield in Tanzania’s northern Geita region, and she will tell you that she touches toxic mercury with her bare hands when extracting gold from crushed ore. Many also say they carry the mercury-gold amalgam home and burn it in kitchens, exposing themselves and their families to toxic fumes that waft into the air. Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service.