Sulfur workers come from their dormitory halfway up the mountain to the top of the mountain every morning, and then down to the bottom of the valley to start the day's work. A single iron and a tattered back basket are their tools.
Workers draw out liquid sulfur through ceramic tubes around volcanoes and lakes, and then solidify sulfur by artificial ignition.
Mount Ijen, an active volcano in eastern Java in Indonesia, is famous for its mysterious blue flames that erupt at night, and a turquoise volcanic lake at the top of the mountain, a dream destination for many, but the bottom of the volcano is a hellish sulfur harvesting site. Thick smoke billowed out, the ground and rocks were wrapped in a layer of yellowish sulfur powder, and the unsolidified sulfur liquid flowed blood-red, and the strong sulfur gas made people almost suffocate. Such an inaccessible active volcano is rich in sulphur mines, and a large number of miners risk their lives every day to mine to support their families. In Indonesia, more than a million people live and work near volcanoes.
Sulfur, also known as sulfur, is a non-metallic element, chemical formula S, light yellow brittle crystal or powder, with special odor, insoluble in water, slightly soluble in ethanol, ether, soluble in carbon disulfide. As a flammable solid, sulfur is mainly used in the manufacture of dyes, pesticides, matches, gunpowder, rubber, rayon, etc. In production, sulfur is often processed into a rubber suspension for the control of pests and diseases, which is safe for people and animals, and is not easy to cause pesticide damage to crops.
Sulfur workers start their day every morning from their dormitory halfway up the mountain to the top of the mountain and down to the bottom of the valley. Their tools were single irons and worn-out back baskets, and they carried the knocked cooled sulfur from the bottom of the valley to the top of the mountain and then to the bottom of the mountain, repeating up to two or three times a day. For more than ten hours a day, sulfur workers spend in the thick sulfur smoke, they do not have any protective measures, even if the sulfur smell is unbearable, they simply use towels to cover their nose and mouth, and the working environment is difficult and dangerous.
This is a video story of the lives of miners on Mount Ijin, a glimpse of the gloomy world of Indonesia's low-level workers risking their lives to exchange their labor for a livelihood.
In addition to towels, masks are the only tool for sulfur workers to protect themselves from sulfur gases.
The strong sulfur gas stung the workers' eyes.
Sulfur workers carry two baskets of cooled sulphur across a dangerous wooden bridge.
Workers collect sulfur that has solidified and cooled.
Large quantities of sulphur are carried every day, but the average income is only about $5 to $7.
Sulphur mining has been mined for more than 30 years, but it has not been mechanized and is mined entirely by hand.
Sulphur mines are sold to nearby refineries, detergents and fertilizers for use in vulcanized rubber, bleaching and other industrial production.
In addition to stinging the eyes, the corrosive gases emitted by sulfur can also corrode teeth and endanger lung health. The average life expectancy of sulphur workers is said to be less than 40 or 50 years.
At night, Mount Ijin erupts blue magma and flames, and behind the beautiful scenery, a group of workers still risk their lives to silently mine sulfur.