5 of the hardest jobs where people ruin their health for pennies

Representatives of some professions put their lives in danger every day. Examples include firefighters, rescuers, and miners – their work is always associated with high physical activity and risk to life. For example, workers at the Mponeng mine located at great depths are forced to work in 60-degree heat. At the same time, there is very high humidity, which makes the heat simply unbearable. But that's not the only hard work. There are professions that shorten people's life expectancy every day, and at the same time do not bring good money. People would happily leave such jobs, but they simply have no other options.

5 of the hardest jobs where people ruin their health for pennies. Sulfur miner in Indonesia. Source: scmp.com. Photo.

Sulfur miner in Indonesia. Source: scmp.com

Contents

  • 1 Sulfur mining on the Ijen volcano
  • 2 Salt mining in India
  • 3 Acai berry picking in the Amazon forests
  • 4 Limestone mining in Egypt
  • 5 How swiftlets' nests are collected for soup

< h2>Sulfur mining at Ijen volcano

One of the deadliest industries in the world is sulfur mining on the Ijen volcano (Indonesia). It rises approximately 2800 meters, and the diameter of its crater is about 1 kilometer.

In the mouth of the Ijen volcano there is an emerald-colored lake, which consists entirely of sulfuric acid. It is deadly for people. Once, as an experiment, scientists tried to dip a small sheet of aluminum into this slurry. After 20 minutes it became thin, like a piece of fabric.

Sulfur mining on the Ijen volcano. Acid lake of the Ijen volcano. Source: fishki.net. Photo.

The acid lake of the Ijen volcano. Source: fishki.net

Dozens of men work in this dangerous place mining sulfur. This chemical element is used to produce matches, fertilizers, medicines, rubber, fireworks, dyes and so on. In general, this is a very popular substance, without which our life would be completely different.

Sulfur mining on Ijen volcano. A wound on the shoulder of one of the workers. Source: yalejournal.org. Photo.

A wound on the shoulder of one of the workers. Source: yalejournal.org

Every day, workers are forced to wake up at 2-3 am and climb the volcano on their own. Most of them cannot afford to buy a gas mask, so they simply wrap a wet rag around their faces. It goes without saying that such weak protection cannot completely protect against poisonous hydrogen sulfide, which causes chronic bronchitis and other lung problems.

Sulfur mining on the Ijen volcano. Sulfur miners have neither protection nor trucks. Source: yalejournal.org. Photo.

Sulfur miners have neither protection nor trucks. Source: yalejournal.org

Inside the crater of the Ijen volcano it is very hot, about 38 degrees Celsius. In one of the previous articles, we already wrote how much heat can ruin a person’s health. Contact with volcanic lake water can cause severe chemical burns.

Workers carry the collected sulfur out of the crater on their shoulders; such a load usually weighs 70 kilograms. Because of this, the shape of their spine and shoulders changes. This makes even young workers look like old people, and they rarely even live past 50.

Sulfur mining on the Ijen volcano. The place where these people work smells terrible of hydrogen sulfide. Source: yalejournal.org. Photo.

The place where these people work smells horribly of hydrogen sulfide. Source: yalejournal.org

For this hard work, they receive approximately $17 a day, which at the exchange rate of June 2024 is equal to approximately 1,500 rubles.

Read also: Humanity is facing another crisis – what will the shortage lead to? sulfur?

Salt mining in India

In India there is a place where many thousands of years ago there was a huge ocean. Due to the earthquake, the water receded, and now in the place of the former ocean there is a salt deposit – the salt marsh of the Little Rann of Kutch.

Salt mining in India. Working conditions in the salt marsh of the Little Rann of Kutch. Source: thebetterindia.com. Photo.

Working conditions in the salt marsh of the Little Rann of Kutch. Source: thebetterindia.com

With the arrival of spring, when the heat begins, Indian farmers along with their families go to this desert and build temporary houses. They dig into the ground to find salt water and pump it out using pumps. After some time, the water in the huge trenches evaporates, leaving salt crystals on the ground.

Salt mining in India. Indian farmers mix table salt using huge rakes. Source: thebetterindia.com. Photo.

Indian farmers mix table salt using huge rakes. Source: thebetterindia.com

To ensure that the world's most popular spice dries evenly, you need to stir it with a heavy rake. This work puts a lot of stress on people's bodies. Workers also suffer greatly from 50-degree heat, which leaves burns on their bodies. On top of all this, salt is terribly corrosive to the skin of your hands and feet. Some men go blind due to sunlight reflecting off the salt. Populated areas are far away, so workers cannot get medical care on time.

Salt mining in India. Even women are forced to do hard physical labor on the salt marsh. Source: fishki.net. Photo.

Even women are forced to do hard physical labor on the salt marsh. Source: fishki.net

Mining salt is a very difficult job, and for all this Indians receive $2,000. This is wages not for a day, but for the entire season.

Article on the topic:Why salt is a flavor enhancer and how it changes dishes

Picking acai berries in the Amazon forests

Acai berries are small purple fruits that grow on palm trees in the Amazon rainforest. In the US and many other countries, they are considered a “superfood”, that is, a product that provides great benefits to human health. Acai berries are believed to be rich in antioxidants, healthy fats, and other nutrients.

Collecting acai berries in the Amazon forests. Acai berries. Source: moisekretiki.ru. Photo.

Acai berries. Source: moisekretiki.ru

Collecting acai berries in the Amazon forest. A rope used by people to climb palm trees to collect acai berries. Source: houstonpublicmedia.org. Photo.

A rope used by people to climb palm trees to pick acai berries. Source: houstonpublicmedia.org

Acai berries are collected manually; people have to climb palm trees up to 25 meters high on their own. To climb the tree, they use a rope that goes around their two legs. The workers do not have any insurance, so they can easily fall and die. In addition, in the Amazon forests they can be bitten by poisonous insects or attacked by wild predators.

Collecting acai berries in the Amazon forest. Branch with acai berries. Source: amazonconservation.org. Photo.

A branch with acai berries. Source: amazonconservation.org

The worst thing is that acai berry picking is mostly done by teenagers. The fact is that palm tree trunks are very thin and cannot support the body weight of adults. Branches with berries must be lowered from the top carefully so as not to damage the berries.

Acai berry picking in the Amazon forest. A worker climbs a palm tree to pick acai berries. Source: gratefood.co. Photo.

A worker climbs a palm tree to pick acai berries. Source: gratefood.co

For 50 baskets of acai berries, farmers receive approximately $900. At the same time, after transportation, in other countries they are sold at many times more expensive.

Important discovery: Sea buckthorn berries will help you lose weight and improve your health – scientists called them a superfood

Limestone mining in Egypt

Limestone mining in Egypt

h2>

Limestone is mined in Egypt, which is used in the manufacture of a huge number of materials. Some people don't know this, but once upon a time even the ancient pyramids were covered with limestone.

Men who mine limestone are forced to buy protective suits themselves. However, due to the low salary, they often make them themselves.

Limestone mining in Egypt. This is what all the limestone quarry workers look like. Source: theweek.com. Photo.

This is what all limestone quarry workers look like. Source: theweek.com

To get even blocks of limestone, they use huge saws. If someone takes an extra step towards the saw, they could very well lose their limbs or die. Reports of deaths during limestone mining appear regularly, but there are no official statistics.

Limestone mining in Egypt. Saw used to quarry limestone. Source: theweek.com. Photo.

A saw used for extracting limestone. Source: theweek.com

Workers also inhale huge amounts of limestone dust. This puts them at increased risk of developing respiratory diseases such as silicosis. In short, this disease causes the lungs to stop processing oxygen properly, and the person feels suffocated.

Limestone mining in Egypt. Limestone blocks must be manually loaded into the machine. Source: theweek.com. Photo.

Limestone blocks must be manually loaded into a machine. Source: theweek.com

Because of all these complications, the life expectancy of workers is only 45 years. For their hard work, they receive 6 dollars a day, that is, approximately 500 rubles.

How much do you think it would cost to build an Egyptian pyramid today?

How to collect swift nests for soup< /h2>

Some types of swifts make nests from their saliva, and expensive soup is prepared from them. To earn money, some men climb the steep walls of caves to find what they are looking for at an altitude of several hundred meters.

How to collect swift nests for soup. Swift nests for sale. Source: Business Insider. Photo.

Swift nests for sale. Source: Business Insider

To climb up, they use bamboo ladders and cables, which can hardly be called reliable. Because of this, the risk of injury and death in this type of work is very high. In addition, they have to climb into slippery caves and inhale dust with germs. Due to the constant need to go up and down, workers suffer from exhaustion.

How to collect swifts' nests for soup. To get swifts' nests, people have to climb steep slopes to great heights. Source: Business Insider. Photo.

To get swifts' nests, people have to climb steep slopes to great heights. Source: Business Insider

How swifts' nests are collected for soup. A man in a cave gets a bird's nest. Source: Business Insider. Photo.

A man in a cave gets a bird's nest. Source: Business Insider

For each nest collected, they will receive 2-3 dollars, while on the market a kilogram of nests can cost up to $3,000.

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If you liked the article, we strongly recommend reading our material “Tempting professions that cannot be mastered in Russia.” It will be interesting!


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