Illegal gold mining eats up more protected Peruvian rainforest

Gold mining affects more than just forest. Mercury is often used to separate ore from sediment and easily escapes downstream and into the atmosphere. The heavy metal reverberates and accumulates in toxic levels up the food chain. A study by Duke University last year found mercury concentrations in fish 350 miles downstream from Madre de Dios mining sites exceeded the World Health Organization’s safe consumption levels. Eating too many high-mercury fish has been linked to neurological disorders. Children and developing fetuses are particularly sensitive to the effects of mercury.
Rivers, too, are also threatened by the quest for gold. A previous analysis by MAAP found that the mining occurring along the Upper Malinowski River has shifted its course and degraded its water quality. Biologists familiar with the area warn this could threaten fish that have evolved to live in the river’s previously clear water.
https://news.mongabay.com/2016/08/illegal-gold-mining-eats-up-more-protected-peruvian-rainforest/