The ecological toll extends deep into the Amazon. In Napo province, reporters travelled with a local mining ombudsman, Oscar, into protected indigenous territory overtaken by illegal excavation, where mercury used to separate gold has poisoned waterways, turning clear river water murky at the point where contaminated and clean water meet.
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The contamination of these waterways has far-reaching consequences, as mercury is a highly toxic substance that bioaccumulates in aquatic ecosystems, entering the food chain through fish, irrigated crops, and livestock. Communities relying on these rivers for drinking water, agriculture, and domestic use are exposed to severe health risks, including neurological damage, kidney failure, and developmental challenges in children, while the long-term environmental damage threatens livelihoods and ecosystem sustainability across the region.
The call to shut down the Dryden mill over the ongoing impact on mercury contamination downstream is “a big responsibility on the federal government,” said Premier Doug Ford on Tuesday
