View Full Version : Gold mines...poisoned waters
brianct
05-05-2010, 10:43 PM
'Gold mining can have a devastating effect on nearby water resources. Long term effects include acid mine drainage, which raises acid levels in rivers and lakes (harmful to wildlife and people). Some mines regularly dispose of toxic waste in rivers, lakes, and even oceans. Others store the soupy, semi-solid mine waste known as tailings in dammed up reservoirs, which can leak or burst. Cyanide used in leaching gold from ore can pollute water resources and kill fish and other life. (A rice-grain sized dose of cyanide can be fatal to humans; cyanide concentrations of 1 microgram (one-millionth of a gram) per liter of water can be fatal to fish.) '
....
In Northern Sulawesi, Indonesia, the Minahasa Raya gold mine, which the US-based Newmont Corporation opened in 1996 and closed in late 2003, discarded more than 4 million tons of tailings into the nearby Buyat bay. Local people reported skin rashes after contact with seawater and a toxicologist has found heavy metals in fish and plankton. In northern Chile, near the small fishing town of Chanaral, a Chilean National Copper Corporation (CODELCO) mine was dumping tailings into a nearby bay, depleting local fish populations, until the town sued the company in the mid 1980s to stop the practice.
No Dirty Gold (http://www.nodirtygold.org/poisoned_waters.cfm)
This has happened in Papua.
navi31337
05-06-2010, 12:00 AM
I agree. gold mining, or any mining in my mind, can be unhealthy fo the surrounding envirnment. A big controversial mine around where I live is called the pebble mine around the bristol bay area of alaska. Its supposed to be a HUGE open pit gold/copper mine, but its sitting on one of the biggest/best salmon fishing areas in the world. I think its a bad idea. But I know what you mean. THanks for the thread, got some of my info out too :]
sorry this is off topic, but i don't understand the whole point of mining gold and diamonds..... WTF do you do with them? Yeah, you can sell them for ALOT of money but once you buy it and have the stuff in your hand then what? Do you just look at it? What the hell do you do with it? Well, I know gold can be used for scientific purposes and so can diamonds but I doubt most of today's gold and diamonds is used that way. Anyway I was aware of the face that these mines have been polluting ecosystems since year 8 as I learnt it in geography but thanks for posting this. We either aren't aware of this issue or we are but we dicide to store it in the back of our minds as it's unimportant.
I noticed that you, brianct, have been posting alot of these topics. Reading them makes me feel so useless. If you could post links to websites that show us how we can help either physically or donating money or anything than I think it would be great. I don't have alot of money but I never use it. It just sits in the bank. Maybe I could donate money from my account??? Anyway, thankyou for this informaiton :nsmile:
Zapgun
05-06-2010, 06:36 AM
Why do you mind gold? Gold is a very good semi-conductor and is a component in computer electronics and other devices.
Why do we mine diamonds? Diamonds are the hardest naturally occuring substance on earth and can cut anything, including other diamonds and therefore are valuable in industrial applications.
Why else do we mine gold and diamonds? Because people want it, and if people want something someone will go and get it and sell it to them.
Stupid questions deserve stupid answers.
ahaa..... well i just don't see anything special about a shiny diamond or a shiny chunk of gold, besides the fact that it can be used for scientific purposes which i stated. thankyou for showing unnecesary aggresion. have a nice day! :nwink:
avatardreamer
05-06-2010, 06:40 AM
hahaha touché
Zapgun
05-06-2010, 06:50 AM
Sorry >.<
Stupid people here are getting to me, I dont want to imply that you yourself are stupid, but I am simply explaining that Gold has been a component in jewelry for a very long time and so there is a very large, and expensive market for it, same goes for diamonds.
applejuice
05-06-2010, 09:42 AM
Why do you mind gold? Gold is a very good conductor and is a component in computer electronics and other devices.
Corrected! Gold is the best conductor at normal temperatures, it's widely used (though it's being phased out, copper is taking its place) in the semiconductor industry, where the confusion with the terms might have arisen.
Zapgun
05-06-2010, 06:27 PM
I stand corrected. My reasoning for the mining of gold still stands however.
applejuice
05-06-2010, 07:01 PM
I stand corrected. My reasoning for the mining of gold still stands however.
True, true, that's why they are desperately looking for a material with the same properties of gold (conductivity, ductility, malleability and other itys) that is cheap and easy to obtain. However, I don't know what will happen if such a material is found/developed, I believe gold will still be regarded as a precious, strategic metal for a long time.
Zapgun
05-06-2010, 07:24 PM
Gold is the traditional symbol of wealth.
brianct
05-06-2010, 09:10 PM
Why do you mind gold? Gold is a very good semi-conductor and is a component in computer electronics and other devices.
Why do we mine diamonds? Diamonds are the hardest naturally occuring substance on earth and can cut anything, including other diamonds and therefore are valuable in industrial applications.
Why else do we mine gold and diamonds? Because people want it, and if people want something someone will go and get it and sell it to them.
Stupid questions deserve stupid answers.
i notice you ignore the pollution caused by gold mining...But then they arent mined in your backyard
Stupid ignorance is worst of all.
navi31337
05-06-2010, 10:11 PM
i notice you ignore the pollution caused by gold mining...But then they arent mined in your backyard
Stupid ignorance is worst of all.
Man, all of you guys are right so why the fight eh? gold/diamonds/or anything mined is mined because THERE IS DEMAND FOR IT. But theres lots of controversy and fact about the pollution surrounding it. Isnt that what this threads for?
Imperius Dictatio
05-06-2010, 10:32 PM
The fact of the matter however is we cannot NOT mine for these materials.
And we NEED these materials for various industries.
Tsyal Makto
05-06-2010, 10:38 PM
Well if they are going to mine for it, IMO they should be required to fix it. They make the mess, they clean it up. If they wanted it that bad, than they need to take the burden of cleanup.
Imperius Dictatio
05-06-2010, 10:56 PM
They normally do.
To be fair however.
Where would you put over 4 million tons of debris?
There is no right answer for this.
brianct
05-06-2010, 11:49 PM
Solution..dont create the problem in the first place
applejuice
05-07-2010, 07:31 AM
Well if they are going to mine for it, IMO they should be required to fix it. They make the mess, they clean it up. If they wanted it that bad, than they need to take the burden of cleanup.
Yes, but there's one little problem with that: Corruption in law enforcement. Usually regulations are clear and when those activities are carefully supervised, there is no problem (though accidents always happen). And corruption is a decease among populist governments and third world countries...
Imperius Dictatio
05-07-2010, 09:11 AM
Solution..dont create the problem in the first place
Thats not a solution dummkopf.
HufweMakto
05-07-2010, 11:20 AM
Sorry >.<
Stupid people here are getting to me, I dont want to imply that you yourself are stupid, but I am simply explaining that Gold has been a component in jewelry for a very long time and so there is a very large, and expensive market for it, same goes for diamonds.
I wonder if you are aware of what's called "blood diamonds."
However, gold and diamonds have been used for various scientific uses, likewise, the cellphone you are carrying has minute wires made of gold as well as microchips with gold inherint in them. However, the processes used to mine gold and diamonds are ruining our environment. Pit mining is the biggest offender of them all (and perhaps the reason why there is a big pit mine in the begining of Avatar, just to show the destruction of Pandora at the hands of the RDA), and the chemicals used in mining are very harmful to the environment, and to the people and animals who live in the area as well. You may not thinking about it, but the cyninade and heavy metals that eventually get washed down stream will show up in the waters and soils, polluting one land so much people can't live there and have to move. But even then, heavy metals stay in the environment for a long time (the same is true of other inorfanic chemicals like DDT, which is now showing up in artic animals), and likewise will spread through various ecosystems.
Shatnerpossum
05-07-2010, 11:49 AM
I wonder if you are aware of what's called "blood diamonds."
However, gold and diamonds have been used for various scientific uses, likewise, the cellphone you are carrying has minute wires made of gold as well as microchips with gold inherint in them. However, the processes used to mine gold and diamonds are ruining our environment. Pit mining is the biggest offender of them all (and perhaps the reason why there is a big pit mine in the begining of Avatar, just to show the destruction of Pandora at the hands of the RDA), and the chemicals used in mining are very harmful to the environment, and to the people and animals who live in the area as well. You may not thinking about it, but the cyninade and heavy metals that eventually get washed down stream will show up in the waters and soils, polluting one land so much people can't live there and have to move. But even then, heavy metals stay in the environment for a long time (the same is true of other inorfanic chemicals like DDT, which is now showing up in artic animals), and likewise will spread through various ecosystems.
Actually pit mining makes it easier to reclaim the land. They generally create lakes and stock them with the appropriate life. Its the underground mines that can cause problems, especially with the groundwater. Thats a big issue in a town just north of my home. They found gold in 1894, and set up the mine. Today kids in the town are at higher risk for everything because arsenic and other fun elements entered the ground water.
Tropico Gold Mine and Ghost Town - Antelope Valley (http://aeve.com/digitaldesert/tropico-gold-mine/)
Zapgun
05-07-2010, 02:18 PM
Its not as if they just leave a big hole in the ground and move on....really guys >.<
brianct
05-07-2010, 07:15 PM
Yes, but there's one little problem with that: Corruption in law enforcement. Usually regulations are clear and when those activities are carefully supervised, there is no problem (though accidents always happen). And corruption is a decease among populist governments and third world countries...
you telling us the US is a third world country? We have corruption becaues big business uses its wealth to motivate politicians...
Zapgun
05-07-2010, 07:52 PM
....
The USA is a democracy...brianct you really are an idiot >.<
He never mentioned the ****ing USA, he only said that corruption is a problem for third world countries and populist governments.
brianct
05-10-2010, 05:17 AM
....
The USA is a democracy...brianct you really are an idiot >.<
He never mentioned the ****ing USA, he only said that corruption is a problem for third world countries and populist governments.
the last midterm elections proved US is not a democracy.Corruption is wide spread in US as the Abramoff scandal proved.
USATODAY.com - 'Corruption ... very extensive' (http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-01-03-abramoff-side_x.htm)
Abramoff got the best congressmen money could buy...
The USS liberty story showed the power israel has over US presidents...
so forget the 3rd world.
Shatnerpossum
05-10-2010, 06:44 AM
The USA is a representative democracy. There is no question of that because elections are held and the public votes for representatives. That IS democracy. Democracy isn't some deity to fall down before and worship. Its a flawed system which Kant described as being a tyranny. And which Thomas Jefferson dismissed as mob rule.
Democracies are ALWAYS corrupt to differing levels. It doesn't change what they are.
brianct
05-10-2010, 07:13 AM
The USA is a representative democracy. There is no question of that because elections are held and the public votes for representatives. That IS democracy. Democracy isn't some deity to fall down before and worship. Its a flawed system which Kant described as being a tyranny. And which Thomas Jefferson dismissed as mob rule.
Democracies are ALWAYS corrupt to differing levels. It doesn't change what they are.
Us midterm elections...democracts were elected to end the war in iraq...they didnt...So called representratives represent those who pay well...certainly not ordinary people.
what the us is not is a system that represents the will of the people..but those who can buy influence...Thats so basic that any honest observer can see it.
applejuice
05-10-2010, 07:55 AM
you telling us the US is a third world country? We have corruption becaues big business uses its wealth to motivate politicians...
... and are the US the only place in the world that has gold mines...? Corruption is everywhere, but it's much more evident (and passes unpunished) in places where freedom of speech (or press) is deemed as a public enemy or where the governors are dictators/dictators-to-be.
Shatnerpossum
05-10-2010, 08:35 AM
Us midterm elections...democracts were elected to end the war in iraq...they didnt...So called representratives represent those who pay well...certainly not ordinary people.
what the us is not is a system that represents the will of the people..but those who can buy influence...Thats so basic that any honest observer can see it.
The problem is your view. When we elect representatives we are voting for a person and not a platform. They do what they see as best. And reelection is the test of public opinion.
Zapgun
05-10-2010, 09:36 AM
We elect folks because we trust the folks judgement, the last time the USA defied the will of the people...we got Bush and what a fun guy he was.
We elect people, not decisions, we put our trust and faith in those we elect to do what they believe to be in our best interests, if they betray that faith deliberately or in some other way, we dont vote for them again and if they have any sense they wont even bother running again.
I am opposed to the electoral college, I see no point in its existence >.<