In the Philippines, underwater gold mining comes with small payoffs and big risks

“Gold binds to mercury,” Paddock explains. “[They] process it a number of times until they’ve got as much gold and mercury together as they can. Then they will squeeze that out — it’s still sort of a liquid form — and try to solidify it into a lump that’s sometimes known as an amalgam.”
Next, the workers burn the lump, using a blowtorch. During this process, the mercury is vaporized, leaving just the gold. Burning mercury is one of the biggest dangers in this form of mining. Mercury is highly toxic and exposure is known to cause tremors, memory loss and brain damage, among other symptoms. It is especially hard on young, developing children — often the age group most likely to be working with it.
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