... population.3 The smaller the value of the DALYs, the less burden a disease has on society. These measures are very important for understanding disease burdens because they illustrate the large ... When the mercury is added to the silt, the mercury sticks to the gold, forming a solid mercury-gold amalgam. This amalgam is then removed from the remaining silt by washing with water (the ... is heavier than the silt). The separated amalgam is then heated, which vaporizes the mercury, leaving behind the gold. The heating process is often conducted inside homes, as the gold is valuable...