CHILDREN RISK THEIR LIVES 60 FEET DEEP UNDER FILTHY WATER - FOR YOUR GOLD RINGS

 

 

 

A miner prepares to enter a compressor mine near the coastal mining area near Peracale. Image by Larry C. Price. Philippines, 2012.

 

Larry C. Price for the Pulitzer Center

In the coastal areas of the Philippines, much of the clay containing the gold ore is below the water table. This means most mining activity must take place under water. In modern times, successful mining involves cheating the sea with low-tech techniques borrowed from local fisherman.

They call the practice compressor mining. It's the most deadly gold extraction method on earth and is unique to this part of the Philippines. Compressor mining is considered illegal under Philippine law, but the law is largely ignored.

Miners work underwater, breathing through a slender tube attached to a compressor on the surface--hence the name. Fishermen breathed through tubes such as these for generations, but even in relatively shallow waters, the practice is extremely dangerous. Drownings, accidents and carbon monoxide poisoning from faulty compressors are common.

 

Philippines: The Cost of Gold

Tiny children and teens toil in the gold mines of the Philippines. It is very risky business, sometimes deadly. But child labor is growing as families rush to exploit the worldwide craze for gold.

 

http://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/philippines-compressor-gold-mines-child-labor-mercury-pollution-dangerous-accidents-economy

 

See also -  The Philippines: Dangerous and Illegal Compressor Mining