VENEZUELA: Adventures in Amazonia (continued, p.2) On the fourth day of our trip we found ourselves in the place resembled the set. But the events happening around us, were quite real, and a sense of danger gave a special poignancy of the situation. We arrived in a very small town called San Fernando. The temptation to take pictures of the neighborhood was very high, but the camera will no doubt be taken immediately, so that the picture only stayed in my memory. In this city a lot of different things, and it was easy to guess what this place. This part of the Amazon basin is rich in minerals, especially gold. And here, close to National Park Cerro Yapakana, conducted his illegal mining. We were told that the National Park live and work about four thousand illegal workers. Such excavations causing great damage to the nature of the Amazon, as work is carried out on large areas, and after a fossil in the deposit is completely exhausted, the land remains a huge gaping hole. In addition, workers are using outdated methods, among them, and mercury. Mercury enters the environment in two ways. The first - from the bottom of the river sediment is taken, and several passes through a sieve. Mesh these gnehitryh tools covered with mercury, which separates the gold from other substances, which leads to precipitation. Thus, some amount of mercury remains in the soil and waste into the environment, together with the substances screened out. The second way - the mixture is heated to mercury has evaporated, and the remaining gold. If this is done in the unpressurized container, mercury enters the environment in the form of gas. This is particularly dangerous for the gold miners and smelters, as they unconsciously breathe fumes. Cute kids all this then flows through the plants and fish in the human body, causing severe poisoning, disease, and even harm the central nervous system. Mercury poses a real threat, and we need to take very tough measures to halt such activities. Start material: Read more:
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