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Monday, September 1, 2014

Power and corruption: they take the gold and leave the cyanide

Eighty percent of the gold produced in the world is for jewelry. Supplying the gold for a wedding ring takes 18 tons of earth and leaves 12 cubic meters of waste. The low-grade mineral that is dug up is sprayed with a solution of cyanide, which releases tiny particles of gold as it lixiviates, or filters through. The waste cyanide is carried away in water through pipes to the tailings dams. The dams are left uncovered so the cyanide can disintegrate and the water can evaporate. Close to 100 toxic chemicals and heavy metals are released as the cyanide breaks down.
http://lo-de-alla.org/2014/08/power-and-barrick-gold-corrupt-they-take-the-gold-and-leave-the-cyanide/#more-4856

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