Polution, Mindanao island, Philippines

The Philippines Islands are rich in mineral deposits of chrome, copper, nickel, silver and gold, which are mined here on the Island of Mindanao in the Southern Philippines. Although production is constantly falling, gold mining still provides an important economic resource for the country, which produced 35,5 short tons of gold in 2008 (1.5 percent of world production). However, the tailings and waste from the washing and sorting operations are discharged daily into the rivers and the ocean. These discharges, called dumps, make the water turbid and endanger marine flora and fauna both along the shore and out at sea, particularly the coral polyps that depend upon the availability of light for survival. In addition, heavy metals such as mercury, which is highly toxic, are used for cleaning and refining the gold particles. Discharged into the water, this mercury enters the food chain and damages the nervous systems of both animals and humans. In some gold mines in Mindanao 70 percent of the workers show symptoms of mercury poisoning