Since 1880, güirisería, or artisanal mining, has been the main economic activity in the municipalities…in the North Atlantic Autonomous Region… Mercury has numerous negative effects on humans…[and] affects the local air, water and soils, posing a serious hazard to the health of the local population…“In 1979…North American companies…abandon[ed] the mines. Employees were not appropriately compensated” nor were responsible closure procedures carried out to mend environmental damages…Though the large-scale mining industry has always promised work, development, and progress, the reality has been…poverty, social conflicts, and environmental degradation. This image shows the tailings pond…where the waste product from the open-pit Hemconic mine has accumulated… January 30th, 2010, an earthquake…cracked part of the containment wall that is supposed to keep the toxic waste product from flooding…“Seventy-four people…had to be urgently resettled, as they were in serious risk of being flooded and buried alive…” [Also refers to Calibre Mining, Yamana Gold]