Jen Marraccino is the Senior Director of Development at Pure Earth, a leading global non-profit focused on pollutions issues in low and middle-income countries.

For over 20 years, Pure Earth teams around the globe have been working to achieve a world where all, especially children, are able to live healthy lives and reach their full potential, free from exposure to toxic pollution.

Pure Earth has identified mercury as one of the world’s top toxic pollution threats. Because much of the mercury released into the environment is the result of artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), Pure Earth’s global mercury program focuses on ASGM mining communities around the world.

The program aims to reduce public and occupational health risks from mercury exposure among gold miners, their families and the global population by reducing the unsafe work practice of using mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining communities, and by developing cost effective methods of remediating land and waterways contaminated with mercury. These activities provide miners with the tools and incentives to convert to mercury-free mining processes, and provide government service providers and regulators the tools to encourage safe mining practices and identify potential health threats.