Completely unregulated, the environmental impacts of illegal mining are many--destruction of riparian habitats, massive increases in river sediment loads, and toxic mercury pollution among them.
And that's not to mention the human toll that the miners take on indigenous groups
and rural communities trying to survive in areas ravaged by mining,
when the fish are gone and the only source of drinking water is now
tainted.
The take-home lesson: Too much of the gold we buy comes with a big, hidden price tag...
http://alert-conservation.org/issues-research-highlights/2014/2/20/the-blight-of-illegal-gold-mining
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