The price of gold reaching $1 000 an ounce in 2009 unleashed a modern day gold rush with tens of thousands of men from the poorest corners of Peru flocking to Madre de Dios in Peru, one of the most pristine pieces of Amazon rainforest left on Earth.
Much like other gold rushes across the globe about 150 years ago, these miners are using primitive methods involving toxic mercury.
It is clear that they don’t fully understand that mercury is toxic to every form of life in the Amazon. They fish the same waters they mine, not realizing that the mercury can end up in their bloodstream, causing a variety of health problems.
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