The Aztecs described gold as the ‘excrement of the gods.’
Apparently, it’s also the excrement of mere mortals.
In a widely circulated story, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG) reports that about $3.6 million in gold and silver are lost each year in wastewater and sludge discharged from Swiss wastewater plants each year.
According to the report, about 43 kilograms of gold wash through Swiss sewers. That’s about $1.9 million worth of the yellow metal.
The scientists noted, ‘At certain sites in Ticino, concentrations of gold in sewage sludge are sufficiently high for recovery to be potentially worthwhile.’ They attributed the higher concentrations in these areas to the presence of several gold refineries in the region.
Anybody up for a gold panning expedition in Ticino? Just pull up your waders and get rich quick! Of course, you’ll probably also get dysentery. But that’s a small price to pay for the yellow metal, right?
This post was published at Schiffgold on OCTOBER 13, 2017.
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