Regional Parameters
Chocó
Annual Gold Output (Tonnes)
14.5 t
Tailings Barequeros (Gold Pickers)
38,500
Informal / Illicit Labor Share
Mercury Ratio (g Hg per g Gold)
1.8 g
Laundering / Smelter Front Rate
65%
"They survive on what men discard, and are exploited by them." — Women pickers (barequeras) process residual tailings dumped by mechanized heavy dredges, exposed to unregulated elemental mercury amalgamations.
Source & Investigation Context:
Reporting by The Economist on women barequeras in Colombia's informal mining hubs. Benchmark gold price standard fixed at $65.00/g ($65,000,000/tonne).
Impact Evidence & Flow Topology
Vulnerable Workers
38,500
82% informal labor bracket
Total Mercury Discharged
26.1 t
Elemental Hg to water tables
Estimated Illicit Revenue
$942,500,000
65% laundered via front smelters
Traceability Risk Index
Critical
Laundering rate > 60%
ILLICIT EXTRACTION & LAUNDERING SANKEY FLOW
14.5 tonnes gross output
LABOR & RUNOFF DIAGNOSTIC
Tailings Reworked
181,250 t
Hg Exposure / Worker
0.68 kg/yr
Laundered Value
$612.6M