Hazards of Gold Mining
Gold has become an essential part of our life. We use it in jewelry, medicine and electronics, but the mining of it causes a lot of problems for the environment. The production of one gold ring leaves behind 20 tons of waste, and the mining process and waste pose significant hazards for our air, water, soil and forests.
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AIr Pollution
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Once gold is mined, it is converted into bars in a device called a smelter. The smelter heats the ore to a temperature at which the metal melts, and these smelters release huge amounts of lead, as well as nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide, which are returned to the earth in the form of acid rain. Another problem results from driving to and from the mine site. All of this driving generates large amounts of dust, which adds pollution to the air.
Water Pollution
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After ore is gathered from mines, it has to be extracted. This can be done in a variety of ways, but a common technique is leaching. This is a inexpensive method of removing the ore from the waste. To do this, workers pile up low-grade gold ore into an outdoor heap and then put a cyanide solution on it. The cyanide dissolves the gold, which then runs down a slope into reservoirs before it is collected. The problem with this is that these materials can then make their way into water supplies like lakes, rivers and streams. When this happens, aquatic life and animals are affected, and so are humans as the poisons enter the tap water systems.
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Deforestation
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Mining requires the clearing of large areas of land around the mining site. This is especially the case when using open-pit mining techniques, as roads need to be constructed to open remote areas and forests to the miners. An example of this can be seen in Indonesia, where the No Dirty Gold campaign projects that 230 square kilometers will be cleared in 30 years.
Soil Pollution
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When gold is mined, large amounts of land are upturned, and after the gold is extracted, a lot of waste is left behind. Piles of waste are created, which can cause heavy metals and other poisons to soak into the soil, poisoning animals and creating high levels of toxins in plants. Animals who eat the plants can then become diseased, and plant life can be completely destroyed as heavy metals and toxins can remain in soil for decades, making the area unsuitable for human living.
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References
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