Gold sucking technique dredges up controversy
Suction dredge mining is a method of extracting gold from
the soil. It was first popularized by the discovery channel show Bering Sea
Gold. It entails the miner using a four inch tube to suck up soil and extract
gold. "What we've done in our own way is take
that ethic of hard work and individualism and trying to make a living by using
our skills just like the '49ers did," says Craig Lindsay
However,
this mining process has been banned in the state of California critics say that
the process stirs up mercury left there by the original miners. "Suction
dredge machines suck up that mercury and blow it up into tiny pieces, and those
pieces are much more toxic, much more available to be absorbed into the bodies
of fish and insects. And when human beings eat fish contaminated with mercury,
it's absolutely toxic," said Elizabeth Martin. This ban forces more than
30000 miners to use other methods.
This issue
is entirely based on the assumption that this suction method blows up mercury
particles into smaller pieces in the process of extracting gold. The California fish and wildlife board acknowledges
that this method does affect the environment, but they are uncertain as to what
degree. The simplest solution is to apply a filter which chemically attracts the
mercury in the soil and can be replaced when used.
