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Thursday, July 10, 2014

Artisanal gold mining's curse on West African farming

The environmental and health consequences of artisanal gold mining are also not insignificant. Large tracks of land are dug up and rendered unusable for pasture, farming or forestry. Certain stretches of the Niger River and its tributaries have also been greatly disturbed following artisanal mining activities. Mercury poisoning among miners is not uncommon and the number of mining accidents is also large and growing. Finally, the level of HIV/AIDS is also known to be a major problem in many West African artisanal mining areas.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/07/artisanal-gold-mining-west-afric-20147372739374988.html 

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