Mexico’s proposed higher mining royalties could block nearly $7bn in investments
The Mexican government proposed raising mining royalties under the argument that metal prices have risen in recent years.
Brandon Nichols knows first hand what it’s like to get poisoned by mercury.
“I got mercury poisoning two or three times,” he told CBC news. “I got some serious headaches.”
The University of British Columbia grad student had been in South America, researching small scale gold mining operations in Ecuador and their use of mercury.
Mercury is widely used by the miners because it bonds with gold, allowing it be more easily separated from the ore hauled out of countless mines dotting the countryside.
