Mercury (Hg) is one of the most harmful metals and has been a public health concern according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is the world’s fastest-growing source of Hg and can release Hg into the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere. Hg has been widely used in ASGM industries throughout Southeast Asia countries, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand. Here, 16 relevant studies were systematically searched by performing the PRISMA flow, combining the keywords of “Hg”, “ASGM”, and relevant study areas. Mercury concentrations exceeding the WHO and United States Environmental Protection Agency guideline values were reported in environmental (i.e., air, water, and soil) and biomonitoring samples (i.e., plants, fish, and human hair). ASGM-related health risks to miners and nonminers, specifically in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Myanmar, were also assessed. The findings indicated severe Hg contamination around the ASGM process, specifically the gold-amalgamation stage, was significantly high. To one point, Hg atmospheric concentrations from all observed studies was shown to be extremely high in the vicinity of gold operating areas. Attentions should be given regarding the public health concern, specifically for the vulnerable groups such as adults, pregnant women, and children who live near the ASGM activity. This review summarizes the effects of Hg in Myanmar and other Southeast Asian countries. In the future, more research and assessment will be required to investigate the current and evolving situation in ASGM communities.

This study analyzed metals in road dust from urban areas of Yangon and Mandalay and sub-urban areas of Pathein and Wundwin in Myanmar. Concentrations of Al, Se, Cd, Gd, Hg, and Tl in road dust were the highest in Mandalay. In urban areas, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Ga, and Pb concentrations were significantly higher than suburban areas. Metal pollution in urban areas and regional difference in metal concentrations between the northern region (Mandalay and Wundwin) and the southern region (Yangon and Pathein) were explained by principal component analysis (PCA). Positive matrix factorization model extracted two potential factors of metal sources; one was vehicle emissions and industrial activities by Ag, Zn, Mo, Cd, Cu, and Pb and other was natural source by Al, Rb, Sr, Gd, and Tl. Moreover, those factors supported above site specific difference in metal and PCA results, suggesting urban metal pollution in Yangon and Pathein and background difference in metal concentrations between the North and the South. Geomean of hazard index (HI) for adults and children were less than one. However, a study location from Yangon showed above one of HI for children indicated that few human health risk in the studied areas of Myanmar is considered in general.