Hazards that relate to this activity
Hazards that relate to this activity
These activities involve risks to the environment. Indeed, the extraction methods may require digging riverbeds. This can disrupt the flow of water, damaging the banks and promote erosion. On the other hand, given the massive need for labor, human exploitation, it is promoted in poor areas because the workers are paid a wage belowthe established standards. Children will also be very tempted to get to work early. Thismay disrupt their curriculum with negative impacts on their future. The case of Guyana isoften cited because of a gold rush that led to conflicts between workers. Finally, the technical studies show that such activity has adverse impacts on human health becauseof the products we use during processing such as the use of mercury for gold highquality . Given the economic importance of gold mining activity and associated historicand sentimental value to gold, we can not completely prohibit the use of these rivers for gold. However, farmers must agree on measures to address these issues andresponsible behavior. It is important to establish a series of regulations that govern thetrades pertaining to the environment, child labor, health and human rights.
