Mercury is the key component by small-scale mining operations to separate gold from soil. Designated by the World Health Organization as among the top 10 chemicals of major public health concern globally, exposure to mercury can result in severe neurological damage. Across Suriname, standards for mercury dumping are generally lax, with mercury-tainted mud from ore-separating sluice boxes often allowed to freely run into nearby creeks and subsequently downstream to larger waterways. Once it settles out of the water it is far from gone; mercury is a persistent substance, lingering in soil for thousands of years.
It can also linger in the food chain via a process called bioaccumulation. As predatory species eat many smaller, contaminated organisms, mercury levels become magnified higher up in the food chain. That is why, in aquatic ecosystems, large predatory fish are most likely to carry high quantities of mercury. Unfortunately, these species are also typically favored for human consumption, which makes the consumption of fish the primary cause of ingestion-related mercury exposure.
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