Whats the biggest threat to the Amazon River in terms of pollution?
Explain. Probably run-off from mining operations and oil spills. One of the major by-products from the mining process is mercury which is used to separate gold from base rock. Massive amounts of mercury are released into the Amazon every year by small scale miners and large industrial operators. Mercury is toxic and has serious health consequences for humans. Cyanide — also highly toxic — is another compounds used in mining. Mining also produces tons of sediment which impacts aquatic environments and wildlife. Oil spills in the Amazon can be more troublesome that spills at sea because they affect a larger surface area — i.e. oil coats vegetation (especially in the flooded forest), swamps, lakes, etc — and rivers have significantly less volume than the ocean. The larger surface area combined with less water volume makes it more difficult to address spills once they occur. Peru, Ecuador, and Brazil have all declared states of emergency in areas affected by upstream oil spills. If you
