The paper details how the miners grind the ore with mercury in small ball mills called “cocos.” During this process, up to 80 per cent of the mercury is lost with the waste, which is then drenched with cyanide to recover any residual gold—often minute quantities.
“In this process, a very toxic compound is formed: mercury-cyanide which is dumped into the local creeks,” say Veiga, adding that this is happening as well in countries such as Peru and Ecuador.
As yet, there have been no studies on the impact of mercury-cyanide on the environment or food chain. However, Veiga says that downstream effects are likely given the number of South American banana plantations and shrimp farms that export to global markets.
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