Mining has devastated the environment throughout the country, but particularly in the northern departments of Antioquia, Sucre and Cordoba. Colombia releases 130 tons of mercury annually, making it the world’s highest per capita mercury polluter from artisanal gold mining, according to a study led by UN mining advisor Marcello Veiga. According to Sandra Bessudo, Minister for Biodiversity, it would cost around $10.8 billion and take anywhere from 25 to 40 years to repair the environmental damage caused by the deforestation and contamination of mining sites. Miners use liquid mercury to separate gold from river sediments, a process during which a very toxic compound, mercury-cyanide, is formed and then dumped into local creeks. According to the Environmental Police, every gram of extracted gold requires two grams of mercury
http://www.robynehemingway.com/illegal-mining-contaminates-water-in-northern-colombia/
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