Mining small bits of gold is a very
complicated process. First getting the gold from the mines themselves is
quite dangerous, given that they are not always built properly and as
the current disaster shows can collapse easily. Then there is the actual
process of getting to the gold hidden within the excavated earth
itself. Gone are days when just picking away at the Earth and waiting
for that glimmer of yellow would yield enough profit to justify the cost
of the labor involved. Now miners must use a host of chemicals to
extract the gold from the already excavated Earth. The technique most
commonly used by the miners in Honduras is one which involves mercury, a
chemical that is highly toxic and can cause numerous negative health
effects and pollutes the local environment.
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