Grant Nickle
Life in the Amazon
Professor Wolf
4/22/16
Policy Brief: PotosiSilver Mining and its Affects
Abstract
In the study of mercury’s effects on the Andes, and more importantly the region surrounding Potosi where the most famous silver mines are found, it is clear that the issue isn’t so cut and dried as ending the mining process. The indigenous people in South America were mining silver deposits before Spanish boats arrived in the 1500’s and the mineral is engrained in the area’s culture. Not only is it a cultural gem but also the economy in many mining towns relies almost completely on the revenue found by selling and trading silver, and without this source of income each citizen in these areas would struggle. As tourism begins gaining popularity the notion of protecting the landscape has come into political view and the global perspective, garnering support and research from around the world. It is easy to assume mercury is damaging the Earth’s overall ‘health’ but we unfortunately do not know enough about where the mercury is going and how much life it really affects. Studies have been conducted on air pollution and water life as biomagnifications causes the build-up of mercury through the life cycle and we see now that this dangerous chemical has the potential to make its way back to humans and into our diet. As approximately 257,400 tons of mercury has been produced and used in mining techniques between North and South America there is obviously too much harm done to reverse the affects of mercury in our world, especially since 60-65 percent of this total has found its way into the earth and air as a terrible pollutant. There needs to be an honest push for securing the safety of our environment if humans are expected to live in regions influenced by silver mining operations and the global community needs to take responsibility for letting such a harmful process go on for hundreds of years as it has done so already.
Background
Silver is one of the most sought after minerals on earth as it is used in many applications, but unfortunately the refinery process is very damaging to the environment. It’s not usually found in nugget form and is most commonly separated from surrounding ores. There is evidence of early silver mining dating back to around 3000 B.C. in Anatolia where it was a valuable resource for trade and the production of goods. Around 1200 B.C. silver production moved to Greece and stayed there until 100 A.D. when Spain became the major silver supplier for the modern world (Krebs). The most significant production of silver came from South America after the invading Spanish had discovered the native population’s metallurgy traditions. The indigenous people climbed high in the mountains where silver ore was easily found and they used handmade furnaces called huayras to smelt the ore at night when there was a constant wind, allowing for higher fire temperatures and more consistent burns (Lane). This method was successful but inefficient as finding fuel sources at high altitudes is difficult. Some used llama dung and moss instead of wood because of its availability, otherwise material had to be carried to the work site using donkeys if miners chose to use wood. This was the normal process until a merchant named Bartolome de Medina developed the patio process, which is an open-air beneficiation technique that mixed mined ore with mercury before the two were stirred thoroughly over the course of several weeks. (Lane). After the solution was mixed as much as possible it was rinsed and heated to the point that all mercury and toxins burned off and only nearly pure silver was left. This process is what really made silver mining available to all walks of life and without this discovery the silver boom would have surely happened differently. Unfortunately, although easy and efficient, this process releases horrendous chemicals into the air, something that didn’t seem to matter at the time so no one felt too much guilt. Now we know that the amount of mercury lost while mining silver between 1580 and 1900 averaged 612 tons per year (Nriagu), and South America wasn’t the only one affected as the United States also imported and produced around 1360 tons of mercury per year between only 1850 to 1900, 90 percent of which going to gold and silver mining (Nriagu). This comes to an overall total of about 257,400 tons of mercury between North and South America and approximately 60-65 percent of this total has been lost to the atmosphere through the refining process (Nriagu), showing that a significant amount of mercury pollution in our air has been caused by mining alone.
Current research
After being mined for nearly 500 years straight the mountain range surrounding Potosi is growing weak. One mountaintop in particular, Cerro Rico, or Rich Hill, has started to collapse. Cerro Rico is the number one location for silver mining throughout the area and attributed to the majority of Spain’s wealth during their colonization efforts. Now that the structural integrity of the mountaintop is known to be failing the Bolivian government has begun to reinforce its weakening walls. Not only is the mountain a historical site but also the mine is still in operation today, employing roughly 15,000 miners, which generates revenue to support the city of Potosi (Shahriari). The ever-expanding hole at the top of the mountain was named a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) world heritage site in 1987 along with Potosi itself because of its historical importance as Cerro Rico has claimed the lives of many laves and miners and its shape can be seen on Bolivia’s currency out of respect for its importance. Even with the knowledge of the dangers of mining around Potosi it’s not feasible to cut off mining operations completely as so much of the local economy depends on the lands rich minerals. Now with tourism being a second income for the area there is a silver lining to Cerro Rico’s weakening condition as maybe one day the region can host museums and tourist events to cover the costs of ending the mining trade. Until tourism can make up for the loss in profit from halting mining the best the Bolivian government can do to help is to stabilize the mountaintop and in 2012 the government began pumping lightweight cement, expecting the mountain to regain its original appearance by 2014. This plan seemed ideal but began failing as the sinkhole continued expanding, allowing the interior of the sinkhole to sink a couple centimeters per day (Shahriari). Another point to keep in consideration is the ethics of mining silver itself as it hurts the planet in ore ways than one and doesn’t really produce anything useful to human life except for shiny metal to make goods and to facilitate trade. Founding director of the Ethical Bullion Company, Patrick Schein, states that “the mining industry now has techniques becoming more enviro-friendly, you can’t mine without leaving an environmental footprint.” (Lee). Cutting into the earth is the first issue as it does structural damage and removes and life from the area, not to mention the task of getting equipment to remote areas where specialty ore is found. Once the mining process in underway hundreds of tons of mercury is used in the amalgamation process and lost to sources of water and the atmosphere, both of which cycle into our lives through many means of travel. With environmental impacts aside, mining also causes the deaths of millions of miners over the past 500 years, 9 million of which is from Potosi mines alone (Lee). As we try to stop the collateral damage of mining we must find a balance for there are too many economic and social implications to consider alongside the fate of our planet.
Broader Implications
Unfortunately very little is known about the fate of so much mercury and reagents being steeped into our environment but we do know mercury in the atmosphere causes sickness and acid rain whereas in fish and ecosystems dependant on water go through a process of biomagnifications. Both issues ultimately lead back to humans as the air we breath and the fish we eat can contain this deadly chemical. One could argue that we deserve to be infiltrated by mercury for our ignorance regarding the use of mercury, something that seems inherently dangerous, as it literally is a liquid metal. It is reasonable to assume that about 10% of this mercury was lost while in transit to work sites (Cobb) and the cumulative mercury deposits could lead to greater environmental impacts as a silent killer, hiding within the earth itself. As a chemical so damaging it is a surprise there isn’t more being done to eradicate the substance from usage in open air patio systems of mining and from the suffering planet itself.
Conclusion
Human history shows that often tradition trumps logic, but in the case of the usage of mercury in mining something must be done. There is a fragile line to walk between economic and social advantages of silver mining and the environmental impact of the reagents used to purify mined ore. An effective policy change is required to combat the affects of human influence on our landscape as the mercury used can cycle through water systems and the atmosphere many times over, causing irreparable damage.
Works Cited
Krebs, Mitchell. "Silver In History | The Silver Institute." The Silver Institute. The Silver Institute, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
Lane, Kris. "Potosí Mines - Latin American History: Oxford Research Encyclopedias." Potosí Mines - Latin American History: Oxford Research Encyclopedias. Oxford Research Encyclopedias, May 2015. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. <
Nriagu, Jerome O. "Mercury Pollution from the past Mining of Gold and Silver in the Americas." Deepblue.lib.umich.edu. The Science of the Total Environment, 19 Mar. 1993. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
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Shahriari, Sara. "Bolivia: Struggling to save the Mountain That Eats Men." Aljazeera America. Aljazeera News, 8 May 2014. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
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Lee, Matilda. "Can Silver Ever Be Ethical?" The Ecologist. The Ecologist, 1 Mar. 2009. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
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Cobb, Gwendolin B.. “Supply and Transportation for the Potosí Mines, 1545-1640”. The Hispanic American Historical Review 29.1 (1949): 25–45. Feb. 1949 Web. 21 Apr. 2016. < >