Yet deforestation is not the only impact of gold mining. The use of mercury in mining is problematic for the health of those who extract the gold. Since Amazonian gold is found in flakes in the soil below the rainforest, mining entails first removing the forest. Since liquid mercury forms a stable mixture (amalgam) with gold, it is used to pull gold flakes out of the sediment, creating mercury-gold “nuggets.” Heating the nuggets forms purified gold and releases mercury vapor.
read more... https://truthout.org/articles/holiday-jewelry-presents-could-be-contributing-to-deforestation-in-the-amazon/
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