gold prospectors will no doubt be jealous, as the coveted precious metal has been found in the most unusual of places in Switzerland. According to a study by Eawag, an aquatic science organization, tests have revealed approximately 95 pounds of gold gets flushed every year into the country’s sewage and wastewater systems. So far tests have reportedly yielded gold with an accumulated value of around $2 million.

Before readers start believing the Swiss poop gold, scientists figure the flecks of the precious metal they found had likely entered the wastewater system from gold refineries and the famous Swiss watchmaking industry.

Gold discovered in the sewage systems

The study was reportedly commissioned on behalf of the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment and so far the study has run tests on 64 Swiss wastewater treatment plants. According to the study, the gold concentrations tended to be heavier in particular areas in the country, with a particular area close to gold refineries yielding the most gold. While most of the gold is not financially viable to extract, researchers wrote that the precious metal concentrations in that area are sufficiently high to make it worthwhile recovering.

Silver and rare earth minerals present in wastewater systems

According to a report by CNN Money, gold is not the only valuable metal making its way into the sewers of Switzerland, as research has also uncovered quite a lot of silver.

Each year the Swiss wastewater treatment plants process around 6,500 pounds of the valuable metal each year with a price tag of around $1.8 million.

This discovery has led researchers to speculate that those findings, along with rare earth minerals such as gadolinium and the heavy metal niobium, are probably connected to the manufacture of electronic devices in Switzerland.

According to their study, scientists also researched the environmental relevance relating to these elements. The report mentioned the discovery in Germany of the rare earth metals samarium and lanthanum in the Rhine River, which is of major concern to the environment. However, in the majority of cases in Switzerland, there was no ecotoxicological concern, as the concentrations were below specified limits.

However, they did go on to say little is known at present about potential future toxicological effects from the trace elements that have been found.

This isn’t the first report about valuable substances found in the Sewage System in Switzerland. The New York Daily News reports that last month investigators had uncovered damaged euro bills with a value of 100,000 euros (around $120,000) in the sewage system in Geneva, Switzerland.

This reportedly relates to the strange story of two Spanish women who allegedly cut up 500 euro notes and flushed them away at local restaurants and a UBS bank in Switzerland. According to investigators, in that case, they believe it to have been “illegal” cash or as punned by the Daily News report, “dirty money.” The ladies were obviously feeling “flush” at the time.
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