State Of Emergency Declared Over Peruvian Gold Mine Protests

Cyanide or mercury contamination are concerns for large and small gold mining operations. PBS NewsHour reported this week on mercury sickening the small-scale miners in southeastern Peru who use it to form an amalgam to separate the gold from dirt. They report that the gold rush has attracted 20,000 miners to the Madre de Dios region.
http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2011/12/30/state-of-emergency-declared-over-peruvian-gold-mine-protests/