Report warns of long-term consequences from Sierra gold mining
A Sierra Nevada community foundation says too little is known about the long-term health effects of mining during the state’s Gold Rush era.
The nonprofit Sierra Fund released a report Tuesday calling for an immediate assessment of state and federal land so mining waste can be cleaned up.
Elizabeth Martin, the chief executive officer of the fund, says researchers discovered that many health clinics still do not advise pregnant women to limit the amount of local fish they eat. The fish might contain high levels of mercury left over from mining days.
The report also says children riding dirt bikes or workers in the construction and forestry industries might be exposed to arsenic and asbestos fibers from mine tailings left in the soil.
