The minerals used in electric vehicles, smartphones, and renewable energy technologies are extracted from the earth, often in regions where Indigenous communities have lived for generations. As global demand for these resources increases, so does the pressure to expand mining operations.
For communities living near these sites, excavation can permanently alter ancestral lands, while mining waste can contaminate water sources that families depend on. Workers may face hazardous conditions without adequate protection or the ability to speak out.
Mining can provide employment and economic opportunities, including for Indigenous communities. Those benefits come with a responsibility to protect workers from preventable illness and ensure surrounding communities are not left dealing with environmental damage long after operations close.
As demand for critical minerals continues to grow, governments and industries must establish protections that apply to every mining operation, regardless of where it operates.
The lasting impact of mining on Indigenous communities
The consequences of poorly managed mining operations can persist for generations.
On Navajo Nation lands in the United States, uranium mining supplied materials for nuclear weapons and energy throughout much of the 20th century. Mining ended in 1986, yet more than 500 abandoned uranium mines remain on or near Navajo lands. The legacy includes contaminated land and water, ongoing health concerns, and cleanup efforts that continue decades after the industry departed (1).
For Indigenous communities, damage to ancestral lands can affect traditional food sources, cultural practices and livelihoods. When these resources are damaged or become unsafe to use, communities can lose access to important parts of their heritage and daily lives.
A 2026 study examining 720 members of the Xikrin do Cateté Indigenous community in northern Brazil found that 98.5% had excessive concentrations of at least one toxic or potentially toxic element in their bodies (2). All 121 children evaluated in the study showed elevated levels of multiple elements.
The community lives in a region affected by copper, gold, and nickel mining. Researchers identified concerning levels of elements including manganese and nickel, raising serious questions about environmental exposure and the need for public health intervention.
The findings do not establish that mining caused every exposure or identify a single exposure pathway. They do demonstrate why communities living near mining operations need comprehensive environmental investigations and access to healthcare.
What mining leaves behind
Mining's environmental impacts begin with the physical extraction of minerals and can continue long after operations close.
Open-pit mining can involve removing vegetation and excavating large quantities of earth to reach mineral deposits. Roads, processing facilities, and waste-storage areas expand the affected footprint. These activities can fragment wildlife habitats, contribute to erosion, and permanently alter landscapes.
Mining and mineral processing can require substantial quantities of water, sometimes in regions where local supplies are already limited. When waste rock containing certain sulfide minerals is exposed to air and water, it can generate acidic drainage that carries dissolved metals into surrounding waterways. Poorly managed tailings, the material left after minerals are separated from ore, can also contaminate soil and water (3).
For communities that depend on local rivers or groundwater, contamination can threaten drinking water and agriculture. Some pollutants can enter the food chain, creating additional exposure risks.
Blasting, crushing, excavation, and transporting ore can release airborne dust containing hazardous substances, depending on the minerals being extracted and local geology. Diesel-powered equipment and mineral processing can produce additional emissions.
Fine particulate matter, including PM2.5, can penetrate deep into the lungs. Other mining-related exposures, including respirable crystalline silica and certain toxic metals, require specific attention because of their potential health effects.
Contaminated groundwater and abandoned mining facilities may require decades of monitoring and remediation. Without adequate cleanup requirements and financial guarantees, affected communities can be left managing these risks long after the economic benefits of mining have moved elsewhere.
The workers behind the minerals
Mining's health risks also affect the people doing the extraction.
Workers can spend years exposed to hazardous dust, diesel exhaust, and toxic substances. Without adequate ventilation, exposure controls, and medical surveillance, preventable illnesses can go undetected until serious damage has occurred.
Long-term exposure to respirable crystalline silica can cause silicosis, an irreversible and potentially fatal lung disease. Depending on the operation, workers may also encounter hazardous metals and other substances that require specialized exposure controls.
Mining workers also face physical dangers, including tunnel collapses, machinery accidents, and extreme heat. Inadequate safety training and emergency procedures can make these conditions even more dangerous.
Labor exploitation is another serious concern. Some mining operations and supply chains have been linked to child labor, forced labor, unsafe working hours, and inadequate wages. Workers in informal or poorly regulated operations may have limited access to employment protections or mechanisms for reporting unsafe conditions.
The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre's 2026 Transition Minerals Tracker documented 329 allegations of human rights abuses linked to mining operations producing minerals used in the energy transition during 2025 (4). The report identified a 73% year-over-year increase in allegations against previously tracked mines, while reported worker-rights violations doubled.
These figures represent documented allegations rather than legally established violations in every case. They raise serious concerns about whether existing protections are keeping pace with demand for critical minerals.
Workers must have the right to organize, join unions, and bargain collectively over workplace conditions. They must also be able to report hazards and refuse work that presents a serious danger without fear of retaliation (5).
These protections are particularly important where mining provides one of the few available sources of employment. Economic dependence should never prevent workers from raising concerns about their health or safety.
Mining companies must prevent hazardous exposures through effective engineering controls, provide appropriate training, and ensure workers receive the protections required to perform their jobs safely.
The limits of existing protections
The environmental and human consequences of mining are well documented, yet protections vary considerably between countries and mining operations.
The International Labour Organization's Safety and Health in Mines Convention, adopted in 1995, establishes requirements addressing workplace hazards, occupational health, worker participation, and the right to withdraw from situations presenting serious danger (5).
Other international standards address Indigenous rights, including consultation and free, prior, and informed consent (6). Responsible mining frameworks also provide guidance on environmental management and labor protections (7).
International conventions depend on national ratification and implementation, while many industry certification programs remain voluntary.
A mining operation may face rigorous environmental inspections and worker safety requirements in one country while operating under substantially weaker oversight in another.
Companies purchasing these minerals also have a responsibility to investigate how their materials are sourced and address identified human rights and environmental risks.
The 2026 Transition Minerals Tracker found that nearly half of mining operations linked to allegations of abuse lacked a publicly available human rights policy (4).
The case for enforceable global mining standards
Mining is a global industry. Fundamental protections for workers, Indigenous communities, and the environment should apply wherever extraction takes place. Governments should work toward a common set of enforceable minimum standards that builds on existing international agreements and responsible mining frameworks.
Those standards should be:
- Worker health and safety protections, including occupational exposure limits, effective dust controls, independent inspections, access to healthcare, and the freedom to organize and collectively bargain.
- Respect for Indigenous rights, including protection of ancestral lands, meaningful participation in decisions, and free, prior, and informed consent consistent with international human rights standards.
- Environmental safeguards, including air and water quality monitoring, responsible waste management, pollution prevention, and restoration of affected land.
- Independent oversight and public transparency, ensuring workers and communities can access relevant environmental and occupational exposure information.
- Corporate supply chain accountability, requiring companies purchasing minerals to identify and address environmental and human rights risks associated with extraction.
- Enforceable remedies, including penalties for violations, compensation where warranted, and financial provisions for long-term environmental cleanup.
Communities need reliable information about potential contamination, while workers need occupational exposure measurements that accurately reflect the conditions they encounter during their shifts.
Monitoring must be accompanied by effective controls, regulatory enforcement, and corrective action when hazards are identified.
A global framework would also need mechanisms to hold companies accountable when violations occur. Governments should strengthen access to legal remedies and international cooperation, particularly when serious abuses involve multinational supply chains or persist despite national enforcement.
Developing such standards would require cooperation among governments, Indigenous representatives, labor organizations, industry, and human rights experts. Indigenous communities and workers must have a meaningful role in establishing the protections intended to safeguard them.
A responsibility that extends beyond mining
Governments have already established international principles for mine safety and Indigenous rights. The challenge is ensuring those protections are applied and enforced wherever mining takes place.
That responsibility extends to the companies purchasing these minerals. They should be expected to understand where their materials come from, investigate documented abuses, and take corrective action when violations occur.
Workers deserve safe conditions and the freedom to advocate for themselves. Indigenous communities deserve a say in what happens to their lands and access to remedies when environmental damage occurs.
These should be fundamental requirements of an industry that supplies so much to the modern world.
