Mining Creates Dirty Gold
Mines cause devastating environmental damage
Many toxins are exposed into our environment through mining. Learn about ways we can all help decrease the social and environmental damage.
A cheap way of locating ore deposit and bringing it to the surface is to blast away the soil and rock which is called “overburden”. Digging underground shafts did not do as much damage as open pit mines, which is what results after the ground has been blasted open. In the US over 97% of metals mined are now in open pit mines. The global figure for open pit mines is two thirds. They produce eight to ten tons more waste than underground mines.
- Toxins that are a result of mining include mercury, arsenic, selenium and lead. A toxin used during the extraction process from heap leaching is cyanide.
- When gold is extracted, it is crushed and sprayed with cyanide, which bonds with the gold. This gold and cyanide solution is then separated. Every few months a new bout of leaching begins so more cyanide needs to be added. A dose of cyanide the size of a grain of rice is enough to kill a human while one millionth of a gram per litre of water is enough to kill fish.
More toxins are created with mine dumping. On site tailing dams are not always secure and when they fail, the result can be devastating on surrounding water and land.
- Most developed countries have banned mine dumping in rivers and oceans but the practice continues illegally in several locations. The damage done includes suffocation of beautiful coral reefs as well as poisoning fish and other wildlife.
More mining facts
- Mining creates 96% of arsenic emissions.
- 50% newly mined gold is from native lands.
- There is 79 tons of mine waste for every ounce of gold.
- 0.09% of the global workforce is in mining.
- Up to 10% of the worlds energy consumption is used during mining.
- Many protected natural areas have been damaged by craters resulting from mine blasting.
- In gold mining only 0.00001 percent of ore is refined into gold. The rest is waste.
- The damage to land after a large-scale mining operation has finished is devastating and leaves the landscape so polluted that it cannot properly sustain life for thousands of years.
In the US miners are required to put aside money to attempt reclamation of the land after the mine closes but often it costs more than estimated and tax payers end up putting their money out for it.
Recommendations for new mines:
- Refuse projects that have not secured an informed consent from the community that is concerned.
- Allow independent reviews of the social and environmental management practices.
- Do not allow mine waste to be dumped into natural bodies of water.
- Provide guaranteed funding to cover reclamation costs.
How can you help?
- Recycle products that contain metals such as cans, computers, cell phones and appliances.
- If you have investments, make sure they are not supporting the problems of mining.
- Contribute to the reform effort by signing the consumer petition on the No Dirty Gold website.
Source: No Dirty Gold: Mining, Communities and the Environment (Report by Earthworks and Oxfam America, 2004)
Related Article: Mining Environment and Poverty
