Toxins Rob More Than A Decade Of Life From Millions

"For every gramme of gold, two grammes of mercury gets into the environment," Robinson told IPS. 
Like lead, mercury is an element, so it doesn't break down. Once released into the environment, it is there forever. High gold prices, driven in part by growing demand for jewellery, tempts the poor in Africa, South America and Asia to use mercury as a cheap and effective method of extracting gold from mined soil and rocks. 
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