With gold in high demand and gold prices rising up to $1,800 per ounce, many Peruvians have turned to small-scale gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon. However, it’s not all smiles and profits for those involved in and affected by the activity.
“To produce an ounce of gold, it takes two ounces of mercury,” said Sapienza. “In Madre de Dios, they are extracting 25 tons of gold a year which means 50 tons of mercury is coming into contact with the environment.”
Thousands of miners use mercury to extract gold from the soil. When they have an amalgam of gold and mercury, they take it to gold shops where shop owners cook off the mercury and release mercury vapors into the atmosphere. This harms not only the environment but also the health of many locals.
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