Table 2 Underlying assumptions for the analysis

a.

Artisanal small-scale gold miners are considered to have an ongoing occupational exposure to mercury.

b.

The diagnostic tool by Drasch et al. [32] was suited to identify cases of chronic mercury intoxication.

c.

The health burden quantified only included the health endpoint “chronic mercury intoxication” (diagnosed according to Drasch et al. [32]) and excluded all other health effects.

d.

The numbers and distribution of the age and sex subgroups of actively involved miners are assumed to be representative of the ASGM sector in Zimbabwe in 2004.

e.

The prevalence of chronic mercury intoxication observed in the sample from Kadoma is representative of all of Zimbabwe in the year 2004.

f.

The proportion of panners and smelter workers in the sample from Kadoma district is representative of the entire population of Zimbabwe.

g.

The modeled data (incidence, duration of disease, etc.) are representative of the disease situation in Zimbabwe.

h.

The severity of chronic mercury intoxication is comparable to the severity of alcoholism, which justifies using the same disability weight.

i.

The severity of chronic mercury intoxication excludes mortality as a consequence.

j.

The severity of chronic mercury intoxication excludes remissions.

k.

The miners included in the study had not received medical treatment for their condition.

l.

The life expectancy of the miners is assumed to be 80 years for males and 82.5 years for females as given in the standard life expectancy table (Standard West Level 26 life table; [28, 29, 31, 33]) used for the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2004 update.