Gold mining production in Senegal

TOMBORONKOTO, SENEGAL - FEBRUARY 11: Miners work at a gold mine in Tomboronkoto, Senegal on February 11, 2017. After the sand dries out, removing as much water as possible, and mixing it with a few grams of mercury. This material, highly toxic and with which miners have to coexist almost daily, allows them to agglutinate all the remains of heavy minerales, separating them completely from the sand. Mercury is also the cause of the numerous diseases suffered by the miners of the region. Cases of severe respiratory illness, cancer and rare diseases such as Hepatitis E are not uncommon in the area. (Photo by Pablo Parra/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)