| Gold | |
 A nugget of Gold. | |
| Appearance: | metallic yellow |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation: | ˈɡoald
gohld |
| Atomic number (Z) | 79 |
| Phase | Solid |
Gold is a shiny metal that looks good, as its rare gold became valuable and people decided to use it as money. Gold is yellow or orange and a bit like the colour of the Sun, therefore for peoples as different as the ancient Egyptians and the ancient Americans gold represented the sun. The colour of the metal gold is also called gold.
Dirty gold
Groups such as Oxfam are concerned about gold which is mined and processed in irresponsible ways that damage the environment and harm Third World poor people. [1]Mining for precious metals can damage environments, sometimes pristine environments where Endangered species are found. Toxic chemicals used to extract precious metals from ore can be left to poison Human and animal life, the poison, cyanide can be used. Those who want to buy gold, silver or jewellry based on precious metals should research first where the metals come from. [2] In Costa Rica irresponsible industrialists want to dig an opencast mine in a biosphere reserve which would threaten Endangered species from parrots to monkeys. Dirty gold can also effect rich countries, even the United States, there is a problem in Alaska where a proposed mine could pollute Bristol Bay and devastate Inuit salmon fisheries [3] [4][5] [6]
See also
- Blood diamonds
- Ivory
- Nazi gold
- Silver
- Buy Nothing Day If you can afford gold perhaps you feel like a break from all that spending.
