Mercury pollution is most commonly associated with gold mining, where mercury is used to extract gold from ore.

A major environmental risk associated with gold mining is mercury pollution, especially in artisanal and small-scale mining operations. By creating an amalgam, which is subsequently heated to separate the gold, mercury is frequently used to extract gold from ore. Nevertheless, this procedure pollutes the air, water, and soil with harmful mercury vapors. Both humans and wildlife are extremely poisoned by mercury, which damages their nervous systems and growth. Mercury is still a major problem in areas where informal mining practices predominate, despite efforts to lessen its usage in gold mining through safer extraction techniques.