US EditionRare earth mining is poisoning Mekong River tributaries, threatening ‘the world’s kitchen’
Researchers found heavy metals in Mekong tributaries as unregulated rare earth mining spreads, threatening 70 million people who depend on the river basin.
- Unregulated rare earth mining in Myanmar and Laos has contaminated Mekong tributaries, threatening the livelihoods of 70 million people in Southeast Asia who depend on the nearly 5,000-kilometer river.
- Rising global demand for rare earth materials used in smartphones and electric vehicles has fueled an unregulated mining boom, with Regan Kwan of The Stimson Center tracking expansion to 26 sites along rivers in Laos.
- Researcher Warakorn Maneechuket found high levels of arsenic, mercury, lead, and cadmium in water and fish samples from the Kok River, identifying tumor-like growths and discolored scales in fish.
- Thailand, a top global rice exporter, faces risks as toxins threaten crops, with Niwat Roykaew of The Mekong School warning the contamination could cause the country's farming industry to collapse.
- Brian Eyler of The Stimson Center called the toxic runoff an "atomic bomb" for the river basin, while researchers train fishers to use smartphone apps to track contamination spread.
36 Articles
36 Articles
The Seattle Times
Washington TimesRare earth mining is poisoning Mekong River tributaries, threatening ‘the world’s kitchen’
Toxic runoff from rare earth mines in Myanmar is contaminating rivers that flow into Thailand, threatening the Mekong River and its basin's fisheries and farmland.
Associated Press News
Rare earth mining is poisoning Mekong River tributaries, threatening 'the world's kitchen'
Toxic runoff from rare earth mines in Myanmar is contaminating rivers that flow into Thailand, threatening the Mekong River and its basin's fisheries and farmland.
Mining is poisoning Mekong River, that starts in China, threatening ‘the world’s kitchen’
Perched on the bow of his long-tail fishing boat, 75-year-old Sukjai Yana untangled a handful of small fish from his net, disappointed by his catch and fretting over whether he can sell them. Some days Yana earns nothing: demand for fish is falling due to worries over contamination of the Mekong River and its tributaries […] The post Mining is poisoning Mekong River, that starts in China, threatening ‘the world’s kitchen’ appeared first on MACAU…
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