Record levels of gold mining are destroying one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, study shows

"[The mercury contamination] is kind of the invisible cost of this mining," Fernandez said. "You can see where the forests have disappeared, but you can't see where the mercury is and where it's going into the rivers and lakes of the region."

Fernandez said his research teams have studied mercury levels in people and the environment near the mining zones, and have found high levels "across the board."

Exposure to mercury can damage the nervous, immune and digestive systems, and can even be fatal. Developing fetuses are particularly vulnerable to the effects of mercury, according to the World Health Organization.

read more... https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/08/world/gold-mining-deforestation-peru-record-levels-trnd/index.html