The surrounding area has leached, gravelly-sandy soils with layers of hardpan, covered by open sand, large areas of heathland and extensive coniferous forest.
Once infection occurs, the complications such as inflammation and progressive destruction of the underlying bones may follow and may require amputation of the surrounding area.
With the deindustrialization of the surrounding area in the late 20th century, and the winding-down of the distillery operations, the district was left increasingly derelict.
Economic activity is centered on mining, with the surrounding area containing approximately 100 million tonnes of minerals, including columbite, tin and tantalite.
