The borax method of gold extraction has been used by artisanal gold miners in the Benguet area north of Manila in the Philippines for more than 30 years.  Some believe it was in practice as early as the 1900s. The method is increasingly being seen as a safe alternative to the widespread use of toxic mercury in artisanal gold mining today. About 30% of the world's mercury emissions comes from small scale mining. Efforts are being made to revive the method and spread its use. As of 2012, around 15,000 artisanal gold miners in a small area of Luzon, the main island in the northern portion of the Philippines, use this method exclusively. The mineral is inexpensive and easily available, and the miners have reportedly found that more gold is recovered through its use.