Disaster struck this community on 2 June 2000, when a canister of mercury overturned on a truck travelling to Lima, Peru’s capital, from the Yanacocha gold mine in Cajamarca, Peru’s poorest region. Yanacocha is Latin America’s largest gold mine.
More than 150kg of mercury – a byproduct of gold extraction – dribbled along the dirt road that passes through Choropampa and two other villages. Residents, including pregnant women and children, scooped up the liquid and took it home.
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