Commenter says artisans in northern Laos melt Vietnam War shrapnel into jewelry to supplement farm incomes

A commenter said at the meeting that artisans in northern Laos are making jewelry from aluminum shrapnel left from the Vietnam War, and that the practice provides supplemental income for subsistence farmers.

"They use these earthen kilns in their homes, in their backyards," the commenter said, describing a process in which artisans melt recycled aluminum in small kilns, pull the molten metal with a long spoon and pour it into earthen-and-wood molds carved into bangles and other jewelry shapes.

The commenter said the material comes from unexploded ordnance (UXO) tied to heavy U.S. bombing of Laos during the Vietnam War. According to the speaker, "they estimate about 1 bomb every 8 minutes, 24 hours a day for 9 years. 1 in every 3 of the cluster bombs used never detonated." The commenter also said, "Around 70,000,000 bombs dropped but never detonated." The speaker described partnerships with nonprofits that are clearing UXO and working with the artisans.

The commenter added that the artisans are "subsistence farmers primarily, but they sell this art as extra income during the off season when they're now farming in the rainy season, they can create the jewelry. That has had a massive impact on their lives and the village that we work in." The speaker said the group began with simple items such as spoons and then adapted the process to produce jewelry for a broader market.

No formal action, funding commitment or local government involvement was recorded in the remarks. The commenter described the activity and its local economic effects but did not specify the names of the nonprofits involved or provide independent verification of the casualty or ordnance figures cited.

The meeting transcript did not indicate follow-up steps or any requests for official action related to the project.