The Human Cost of Gold | National Geographic Magazine: Gold Miners Exposed to Toxic Vapors | Borneo, Indonesia

Gold Miners Exposed to Toxic Vapors | Borneo, Indonesia

After it’s coating of mercury is burned off, a gram of gold may fetch $25 for an Indonesian miner, while extracting a potentially heavy cost to his health. Using mercury to separate gold from rock, millions of small-scale miners worldwide inhale toxic vapors during the refining process, exposing them to neurological and genetic damage. Waste mercury in liquid form enters river sediments and vegetation, poisoning local food chains.

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