Big Flotilla Of Illegal Gold Dredgers In Brazil

[Erik Oostra]

Big flotilla of illegal gold dredgers in Brazil 

A great Sunday morning read.. the pictures give an insight into the lives of Brazilian gold dredgers..  

https://apnews.com/article/business-environment-and-nature-caribbean-environment-brazil-61fe580eb23761117331c10e0b7cfde8

[PeterInSa]

$3500 for a 40 hr week, that will be hard to stop.

But why do the need to use Mercury, for loose gold in a river bed?

[nebulanoodle]

8 hours ago, PeterInSa said:

But why do the need to use Mercury, for loose gold in a river bed?

That’s exactly what mercury is useful for; it amalgamates with the gold when they come in contact with each other and basically makes it into “more,” making it harder to lose. The mercury vapors it talks about them inhaling come from cooking it off the gold after their clean up.
These folks are just employing a tool that ensures highest recovery.

[Luis]

and they pollute the river and the fauna.  A real shame

[Steve Herschbach]

You can get good recovery without mercury using the proper gear. It’s mainly lack of education, and unwillingness to invest in proper sluice boxes. If I was the government that’s the deal I’d make them. You can dredge if you do not use mercury. Anyone uses it, we shut you all down; that way they police each other. The dredging itself is harmless, just putting muddy water in a muddy river.

[mcjtom]

Quote

The dredging itself is harmless, just putting muddy water in a muddy river.

I'm not sure if it's that simple.

[Steve Herschbach]

13 minutes ago, mcjtom said:

I'm not sure if it's that simple.

I am.

https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/about/commission/meetings/2018/02/feb0818_16_gold_fish_2007.pdf

[cudamark]

Me too, not that I have any scientific studies to point to, just my observations while dredging in Northern California. I was running a 6" dredge years ago before they outlawed it, and while looking behind the sluice discharge I would see schools of fish just waiting to eat what we were dredging up! They seemed more than happy with what we were doing. Not only that, but, we were removing lots of mercury out of the river too. Most of the gold we were finding (I'd say about 80%) were coated with the stuff.

[Jim_Alaska]

12 hours ago, nebulanoodle said:

The mercury vapors it talks about them inhaling come from cooking it off the gold after their clean up.

This is a common misconception and dangerously not true. Hg (Mercury) can and will vaporize at room temperature and even lower. While inhaling it while cooking off the Hg is the fastest way to contaminate yourself, just breathing naturally when Hg is present is extremely dangerous.

I worked with Hg for many years in a controlled, clean room environment and have first hand, scientifically trained experience with Hg, it effects and uses. It does not belong in the hands of untrained people in any capacity, especially mining.

This is a picture of 420 pounds of elemental Mercury in a controlled environment.

 

[Hard Prospector]

Too many arrogant aloof people living in the comfort of first world nations,  quick to pass judgement on those around the globe just trying to feed themselves day to day. 

Practical cost effective solutions (like sluice boxes of different sizes, elevations and flow rates for final clean up......Thanks Steve H) are the  realistic way for those to get ahead while lessening impact