Bronte Wells
Gold mining is a lucrative industry, but it has significant environmental impacts that are often overlooked. Mining for gold produces large amounts of waste, which can carry toxic chemicals such as mercury, cyanide, arsenic, lead, and cadmium. These toxins are released into the environment, contaminating water and land, and endangering the health of people and ecosystems. Gold mining can also cause soil erosion, deforestation, and the destabilization of local communities. The process of extracting gold from rock involves using mercury, which is then burnt, creating a toxic plume. This mercury vapour is the leading cause of global mercury pollution, and it can travel across great distances. Gold mining is a global business, with operations on every continent except Antarctica, and China is the world's largest producer.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Water pollution | Arsenic, lead, mercury, cyanide, nitrates, and other hazardous materials |
| Air pollution | Hundreds of tons of airborne elemental mercury |
| Soil contamination | Heavy metals, mercury |
| Landscape destruction | Large tracts of land are cleared for mining operations |
| Endanger the health of people and ecosystems | Poisoning plants, animals, fish, and people |
| Human rights implications | Displacement of communities |
| Greenhouse gas emissions | 0.85 tonnes of CO2 for every ounce of gold produced |
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What You'll Learn
- Mercury and other toxic substances used in gold mining pollute water and land
- Gold mining contaminates drinking water and endangers human health
- Gold mining destroys landscapes and ecosystems
- Gold mining causes soil erosion and clogs streams and rivers
- Gold mining releases hundreds of tons of airborne elemental mercury each year
Mercury and other toxic substances used in gold mining pollute water and land
Mercury and other toxic substances used in gold mining have a detrimental impact on water and land. Mercury is a neurotoxin that accumulates in the food chain and is particularly harmful to species at the top of the food web, such as fish-eating birds and large predators. It has been used for centuries as an inexpensive and easy way to collect gold. During the gold rush in the mid-1800s, California wildcat miners used an estimated 10 million pounds of mercury, which was released into the environment as tailings and mercury vapour.
Mercury is used to extract gold from ore as an amalgam, which is then heated to vaporize the mercury and leave the gold behind. This releases toxic vapours into the atmosphere, which can travel long distances and be deposited onto land and water through rainfall or small dust particles. The burning of mercury-gold amalgam is a major source of mercury emissions, with mercury gas being harmful to the lungs, kidneys, liver, and nervous system.
Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is the largest source of mercury pollution on Earth, contributing 37% of global mercury pollution. ASGM operations are often unregulated and unsafe, and the health effects on miners are dire, with inhaled mercury leading to neurological damage, renal failure, tremors, memory loss, and even death. Mercury emissions from ASGM also pose substantial risks to children, potentially causing physical and mental disabilities and compromising their development.
In addition to mercury, gold mining uses other toxic substances such as cyanide, arsenic, and lead, which can contaminate water sources and endanger human health and ecosystems. The production of gold generates a significant amount of waste, which can cause soil erosion and clog streams and rivers, eventually tainting marine ecosystems far downstream of the mine site. The exposure of deep earth to air and water also causes chemical reactions that produce sulfuric acid, which can leak into drainage systems.
The environmental and health impacts of gold mining are severe, and the challenge lies in balancing the economic benefits of mining with the social and ecological costs. While some regions have transitioned to mercury-free mining, many communities remain dependent on small-scale gold mining, and closing mines could have significant socio-economic impacts.
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Gold mining contaminates drinking water and endangers human health
Gold mining is a significant industry worldwide, with large corporations conducting most operations. However, gold mining is also one of the most destructive industries in the world, with devastating effects on water resources and the environment.
The process of gold mining involves using toxic substances such as mercury and cyanide to separate gold from ore or sediment. These toxic chemicals are often dumped into rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans, contaminating drinking water sources and endangering human health. For instance, mercury can cause neurological damage when inhaled, particularly affecting children and pregnant women. In addition to the immediate dangers, the resulting contaminated water, called acid mine drainage, is a toxic cocktail that is uniquely destructive to aquatic life. The effects of AMD are so severe that they cause the rapid and total collapse of community structures, even though a single pollutant would not have caused such an impact.
Mining companies routinely dump toxic waste into bodies of water, with the top four mines accounting for 86% of the 180 million tons of waste dumped annually. This waste contains dangerous chemicals such as arsenic, lead, mercury, and cyanide, which can pollute water and endanger human health. In addition to direct dumping, chemical agents can also spill, leak, or leach from mine sites into nearby water bodies. This has been observed in the Humboldt River in Nevada, where gold mining operations have drained the river, threatening the water sources that communities depend on.
The use of these toxic substances also has broader environmental consequences, as mercury and heavy metals can work their way into the food chain, sickening people and animals for generations. This pollution can also destroy entire ecosystems, impacting biodiversity and agriculture. Furthermore, the construction and maintenance of mines can disturb soil and rock, leading to erosion and the disturbance of water sources.
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Gold mining destroys landscapes and ecosystems
Gold mining is a significant industry worldwide, with large corporations conducting most of the mining. However, the high value of gold has also led to the proliferation of small, artisanal miners, particularly in many parts of the Global South.
Gold mining is one of the most destructive industries in the world. It can displace communities, contaminate drinking water, hurt workers, and destroy pristine environments. It is detrimental to the environment due to the following reasons:
Water Pollution
Mining discharges contaminate water sources with arsenic, lead, mercury, and cyanide. Mining companies routinely dump toxic waste into rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans. Even if they do not, such toxins often contaminate waterways when infrastructure such as tailings dams, which hold mine waste, fail.
Deforestation
Large tracts of land are cleared for mining operations. For example, the Akyem mine in Ghana, which opened in 2007, is expected to destroy 183 acres of protected forests. Less than 11% of the original forest cover in Ghana remains.
Soil Erosion
The removal of vegetation and soil structure leads to erosion. The digging of extraction wells can lead to the weakening of lands by creating underground voids and cavities.
Destruction of Ecosystems
Gold mining affects the biodiversity in a natural setting. It results in the mass destruction of landscapes, which cannot be recovered.
Overall, gold mining has significant adverse impacts on the environment, society, and the economy.
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Gold mining causes soil erosion and clogs streams and rivers
Gold mining, particularly surface mining, severely degrades landscapes, causing soil erosion, deforestation, and the displacement of nutrient-rich topsoil. The process of extracting gold involves a significant amount of mechanical and chemical manipulation of the earth, resulting in soil degradation, infertility, and toxicity.
Soil erosion from gold mining activities can have far-reaching consequences, including the contamination of water bodies such as streams and rivers. As soil is washed away, sediments are carried downstream, leading to increased sedimentation in these water bodies. This can alter the natural flow of rivers, as observed in the Geita Gold Mine in Tanzania, where a single open-pit operation caused streams to divert from their original channels.
The increased sedimentation in rivers and streams can have significant ecological impacts. The murky waters created by the high levels of sediment reduce the sunlight available for photosynthesis, affecting the growth of plants and phytoplankton, which form the base of the aquatic food chain. Additionally, the sediment can clog the gills of fish, endangering their lives.
The erosion of tailings dams, which are structures used to store the by-products of mining operations, can result in the release of contaminants into the surrounding environment. This includes the seepage of toxic substances into nearby water bodies, further exacerbating the pollution of streams and rivers.
The impact of gold mining on soil erosion and the subsequent clogging of streams and rivers is evident in various regions, including Ethiopia's Shekiso district in the Guji zone, where gold mining has led to environmental challenges such as soil erosion, water contamination, and ecosystem destruction. Similarly, in northern Mongolia, mining activities have been linked to increased heavy metal loading in river systems, with elevated concentrations of metals detected in soils and rivers.
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Gold mining releases hundreds of tons of airborne elemental mercury each year
Gold mining is a lucrative industry but has significant environmental impacts, including air pollution. One of the most concerning issues is the release of hundreds of tons of airborne elemental mercury each year. Mercury is a highly toxic substance that has been used for centuries as an inexpensive and easy way to collect gold. In the mining process, mercury is mixed with ores dug from the ground or stream beds to form an amalgam. Burning this amalgam leads to the vaporization of the mercury, leaving purified gold behind.
Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is the second-largest source of atmospheric mercury pollution after coal combustion. ASGM is prevalent in Bolivia, where more than 1,000 operations are razing trees, diverting waterways, and reshaping the land. The use of mercury in these operations has made Bolivia the world's biggest importer of the toxic substance. Communities downstream of mining activity have been found to have abnormal and alarming levels of mercury in their bodies, with one Indigenous group that relies heavily on fish for food averaging 6.9 ppm.
The dangers of mercury are well-known, and the Minamata Convention is a global treaty aimed at protecting human health and the environment from its effects. Despite this, mercury continues to be used in small-scale gold mining, and little has changed in remote mining camps. The long-lasting effects of mercury pollution are evident in the Peruvian Amazon, where mining from the mid-1800s to the present day has left behind toxic pollution and endangered the highest biodiversity on the planet.
To address mercury pollution, the EPA and ANL have developed the Mercury Capture System (MCS), which is highly effective and inexpensive. This system captures mercury at the emission source, preventing its release into the environment. While complete elimination of mercury from the ASGM process is ideal, significant emissions reductions can be achieved by capturing mercury during amalgam burns and redirecting it for reuse or storage.
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Frequently asked questions
Gold mining uses toxic substances such as mercury and cyanide to extract gold from rock. These toxins are released into nearby water sources, contaminating drinking water and poisoning communities.
Gold mining releases hundreds of tons of airborne elemental mercury each year. Mercury is mixed with ores dug from the ground or stream beds to form an amalgam. Burning the amalgam releases toxic mercury into the air.
Acid mine drainage is a toxic cocktail that is uniquely destructive to aquatic life. Acidic water draining from mine sites can be 20 to 300 times more concentrated than acid rain and is toxic to living organisms.
Acid mine drainage can run over rocks and strip out other embedded heavy metals such as cadmium, arsenic, lead, and iron. These metals are then carried into rivers and streams, which can cause liver disease, skin cancer, and impaired development in children.
Gold mining can cause soil erosion and contamination. The removal of vegetation and soil structure leads to erosion, and the waste produced by gold mining is often laden with toxic heavy metals that can contaminate the soil.
