Peruvian gold rush turns pristine rainforests into heavily polluted mercury sinks

Illegal gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon is causing exceptionally high levels of atmospheric mercury pollution in a nearby patch of pristine rainforest. One stand of old-growth pristine forest had the highest levels of mercury ever recorded, rivaling industrial areas where mercury is mined. Birds from this area have up to twelve times more mercury in their system than birds from less polluted areas, a level of poisoning that should harm their reproduction.

from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://bit.ly/32MBTzq