Would You Like Some Mercury With That Fish?

While the environmental impacts of mining in Madre de Dios get a lot of attention, little is said about the health impacts of mercury exposure. Elemental mercury — the kind inhaled as vapor — can cause tremors, memory loss, muscle weakness, irritability, insomnia, headaches and reduced mental abilities. Last year, Fernández and a team of researchers from the US Environmental Protection Agency found alarming levels of mercury in the air in and around shops where gold is bought and sold in Puerto Maldonado, the capital of Madre de Dios.
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