The liquid lump is put into a handkerchief or piece of cloth, and
squeezed to remove the excess mercury − with many miners using their
teeth to squeeze out the toxic substance before they understood what the
effects of the mercury could be.
The gold and mercury amalgam is then burned to remove the mercury,
producing a toxic gas and leaving the miners with a small lump of gold.
For many miners this process is still carried out without any kind of
protection by simply placing the lump of gold and mercury in a large
metal spoon and burning it with a blow-torch.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141230/environment/Small-scale-gold-mining-is-dangerous-and-unhealthy-.550058
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