Yes, yes, you heard right, we are talking about sewers. As recently discovered, tons of precious metals, including gold and silver, float through the Swiss drainage system. And the local industry should be thanked for this, which is known for their abundant use.
So, last year, researchers found 43 kilograms of gold and a good three tons of silver in wastewater and sludge. Gold in this amount costs about 1.8 million dollars, and silver - about 1.7 million. Traces of tantalum and germanium were also discovered - elements that are widely used in technology and medicine. As noted in the Federal Scientific and Technological Institute of Water, whose employees collected data, up to 70% of world gold goes through Swiss factories.
A representative of the research group said that initially the content of gold and silver was very modest - micrograms or even nanograms - but when all this was put together, a very tangible amount was obtained. And if you are already looking at the water that flows from your tap, then you should know that even such concentrations of metals are completely removed before it enters the water supply to the population.
