A
workshop next to his family’s house in Cisitu, in Banten Province,
contains machinery that turns gold ore into usable nuggets. The
procedure seems simple enough: The crushed ore is tumbled with other
ingredients in cylinders called balls until the valuable stuff is
amalgamated. But there is a crucial material — and a final step — that
alarms environmental and health experts around the world.
“We
put 15 kilograms of gold ore and water into each ball, and we use 100
grams of mercury per ball,” or 3.5 ounces for 33 pounds of ore, said
David, who runs the family’s workshop. Workers then purify the nuggets
using an open flame, burning off the mercury in sites among residential
areas throughout the village.
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