Brasilia: Brazil is utilizing advanced forensic technology to pinpoint the origin of gold in a bid to curtail illegal mining activities in the Amazon, a significant threat to the rainforest, Indigenous communities, and the environment.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the initiative is being executed at the National Institute of Criminalistics in Brasilia, where federal police have established a specialized "gold lab" to gather and analyze gold samples from across the nation. The primary aim of the lab is to ascertain whether seized gold originates from protected regions, such as Indigenous territories or national forests, where mining is strictly prohibited. The process, termed "gold fingerprinting," enables experts to trace the source of gold with a high level of precision.
Researchers have noted that each gold deposit possesses a distinct chemical signature. As gold naturally forms underground or in riverbeds, it absorbs minuscule amounts of surrounding elements like silver and copper, creating a unique fingerprint. By comparing seized samples against data stored in the laboratory's database, investigators can verify if the gold was mined legally or extracted illegally from protected zones.
Federal police forensic expert Gustavo Geiser stated that the technique has been developed since 2019 in collaboration with Brazilian universities, employing advanced technologies such as X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, and laser ablation mass spectrometry. If tests confirm that gold was illegally mined, the findings can serve as evidence in criminal investigations and prosecutions.
Authorities indicate that illegal mining groups often utilize fraudulent documents to market illegally mined gold through legitimate channels, akin to schemes involving illegally sourced cattle and timber. The issue has exacerbated with the rise in global gold prices, prompting increased illegal mining activities across the Amazon.
Amazon Mining Watch reports that approximately 496,000 hectares of rainforest have been cleared for mining since 2023, with about 223,000 hectares in the Brazilian Amazon. Brazil's Federal Court of Accounts highlighted last year evidence of permits issued to small-scale miners being misused to disguise gold extracted from protected areas. A separate Greenpeace investigation uncovered a "ghost mine" scheme, where operators claim gold was produced from licensed mines showing no mining activity, while nearby Indigenous lands exhibit extensive illegal mining operations.
Earlier this month, a federal court in Par¡ ordered government agencies, including the Central Bank and the National Mining Agency, to enhance gold tracking from mines to markets. Federal prosecutors have also filed a lawsuit seeking stricter oversight of mining permits, arguing that some licenses are being exploited to launder gold mined illegally by criminal groups in protected areas.
Geiser mentioned that the forensic laboratory bolsters criminal investigations while helping improve the credibility of Brazil's gold supply chain by verifying the legal origin of gold entering financial markets. He added that criminal networks are increasingly channeling illegally mined gold through neighboring countries such as Venezuela, French Guiana, and Suriname, with gold samples from these nations also incorporated into the laboratory's expanding database.
Illegal gold mining remains a substantial environmental concern in the Amazon. Although mining contributes less to deforestation compared to agriculture, it inflicts long-lasting environmental damage due to the common use of mercury by miners to separate gold from other materials. The mercury often contaminates rivers and fish that many Indigenous communities depend on for sustenance.
A 2023 study by Brazil's Fiocruz research institute discovered that more than one-fifth of fish sold in Amazon markets contained mercury levels exceeding World Health Organization safety limits. The study also revealed that children aged two to four in some areas were exposed to mercury levels up to 31 times higher than recommended.
Brazil is a signatory to the UN Minamata Convention on Mercury, which seeks to eliminate mercury use in gold mining. This month, Brazil's Ministry of Mines and Energy released a draft proposal to gradually phase out mercury use in mining, with public consultation on the proposal continuing until August 7. Federal prosecutors have urged the inclusion of Indigenous communities, who are among the most affected by mercury pollution, in the consultation process.
Geiser emphasized that a complete ban on mercury would not only lessen environmental harm but also facilitate investigators in identifying illegal mining operations.