002_Lombok, Indonesia (2020): rocks containing gold dust are collected in bags and dragged to the surface. Each extraction phase is carried out by the light of the torches mounted on the miners' heads.

003_West Java, Indonesia (2020): fragmented rock, containing gold, ready for "washing" through metal centrifuges.

004_Lombok, Indonesia (2020): machinery for mixing rock dust with water. After several hours of centrifuging, the heavier gold is deposited on the bottom in a sort of "paste".

005_West Java, Indonesia (2015): to amalgamate the gold powder, during the last phase of separation from the residual elements, mercury (more rarely cyanide) is used: during the process, carried out without adequate equipment, the toxic substance in liquid form, contaminates the skin and nervous system of miners and, once released into the environment, pollutes the aquifers.

006_West Java, Indonesia (2020): gold and silver nuggets in the palm of a miner’s hand.

007_Lombok, Indonesia (2020): the entire extraction process takes place using huge amounts of water which is then collected in artificial basins. Environmental pollution is devastating and mercury contamination of the aquifers affects villages downstream from the mines.

008_West Java, Indonesia (2023). In the remote village of Cisitu, 13-hours drive from Jakarta, 44-year-old Ipil is taken by his 80-year-old mother Tarsih. Ipil worked as a miner in close contact with mercury. Now he suffers from a serious neurodegenerative pathology that limits his movements.

009_ West Java, Indonesia (2023). Village of Cisitu: Nur Aini, 33, embraces his daughter Camelia, 12 years old. Camellia does not hear, does not see and suffers from epilepsy since the age of 4 years. During pregnancy, the mother drank water containing mercury without her knowledge. Heavy metals settled in the fetus.

010_West Java, Indonesia (2023). Village of Cisitu: Jasmine, 7 years old, was born with malformations in the fingers of the hands due to mercury contamination.

011_West Java, Indonesia (2023). Village of Cisitu: Febri, 7 years old, was born with malformation at left ear. He suffered also of epilepsy attacks, but stop when he was two years old.

012_Central Java, Indonesia (2023): Naomi, 5 years old, was born with hydrocephalus caused by mercury contamination. Abandoned when she was 20 days old, she was adopted by the Wisma Kasih Bunda Foundation of Semarang that deals with children suffering from serious diseases.

013_Central Java, Indonesia (2023): Ardhana, 4 years old, after one of the several daily bath.He was born with hydrocephalus caused by mercury contamination. He was adopted by the Wisma Kasih Bunda Foundation of Semarang.