With bare hands, they use mercury to extract gold nuggets, a practice still widespread among small-scale miners in developing countries in spite of the toxic health risk to the kidneys, brain and nervous system.
Gold extraction also means pollution and armed theft. At Djado bandits attack miners and traders, according to Sidiq. A gang stole a dozen metal detectors from one of his friends before shooting at him, but "fortunately, he wasn't hit".
http://news.yahoo.com/frenzied-gold-rush-sweeps-north-niger-052600689.html
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