Illegal mining takes its toll

The company, Nobel Gold, said they are concerned that these alleged illegal miners are using mercury and cyanide to increase the volume of gold extraction in the area, a process that destroys land.
“It is a serious problem,” the company’s project manager, Grigory Stepanov, told The Myanmar Times. “More than 10,000 illegal miners and 70 private mining companies [have been] extracting gold in the area since two years ago.
“Most of the illegal miners use mercury in order to increase the volume of gold extraction. This chemical is widely sold in local markets for K1000 per 10 milligrams.”
http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/business/9215-mercury-cyanide-treatment-in-gold-mines-destroying-land-says-miner.html