Illegal gold mining in Peru is putting the Peruvian Amazon at risk due to mercury run-off from mines polluting rivers and streams.
Furthermore, the unregulated industry has resulted in widespread deforestation. Between 2001 and 2013, about 1,680 square kilometres of forest was destroyed in connection with gold mining on 1,600 individual mining sites across South America - and the Peruvian Amazon was one of four hotspots.
Mercury run-off from gold mining is affecting communities as far as 500 kilometers away with people eating fish polluted with mercury. Small-scale miners use mercury to separate gold flakes from soil and sediments.
Once mercury enters a river system, it is ingested by microorganisms. When eaten, microorganisms pass mercury up the food chain and the amount of mercury accumulates. As a result, fish at the top of the food chain have the highest levels, leaving the people and animals that eat the polluted fish at risk.
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can seriously affect a both a human and an animal’s central nervous and immune system. In especially high doses, mercury can lead to death.
The Peruvian government must act to stop illegal gold mining and run-off from mining polluting the environment. It must also act to stop the deforestation of the Amazon.
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