29 Most Toxic Places On Earth

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Kalimantan, Indonesia

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Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world, and it also has some of the planet’s richest gold deposits. However, mercury is used to extract pieces of gold that’s mixed in soil and sediments, and as the gold production exploded, so did mercury contamination. Small-scale gold miners in Central and South Kalimantan who have joined large multinational corporations are also at risk of mercury poisoning. It’s even riskier for small operators who often work in their homes, exposing their family and unborn children to hazardous amounts of mercury vapor. In fact, concentrations of mercury in the Kahayan River in Kalimantan are twice the recommended standard, adversely affecting water and fish supply. The ongoing mercury contamination has caused kidney problems, muscle weakness, numbness in hands and feet, poor coordination and memory, and trouble speaking, hearing, or seeing. Doctors and environmental groups have documented several cases of mercury poisoning in the mining communities, hoping to warn the government and the residents of the terrible, lifelong, and often fatal consequences of mercury poisoning.