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Újabb ciános baleset - ezúttal Pápua-Új-Guineában

Ciánszennyezés történt Pápua Új-Guineán: a nátrium-cianidot tartalmazó egytonnás szállítmányt véletlenül ejtette el egy helikopter a fővárostól, Port Moresbytől 85 kilométerre északra. A Greenpeace nemzetközi környezetvédő csoport szerint a szállított cianidot koncentrált formában tartalmazzák a kapszulák, ezért valószínűleg mérgezőbbek, mint a nagybányai ciánszennyezés során kikerült cián. A bányaipar környezetvédelmét ellenőrző ausztrál intézet kutatója arra figyelmeztetett: a cián soha nem hagyja el a környezetet, csupán felszívódik az élő szervezetekbe.

Wednesday, March 22, 2000
For immediate release
MEDIA RELEASE
PNG Cyanide Accident:
Water Testing Results

One thousand kilograms of sodium cyanide in the most concentrated form was accidentally dropped from a helicopter flying to the Australia-owned Tolukuma mine in PNG yesterday. The cyanide, intended for use in gold mining, was dropped 85 kilometres from Port Moresby. The cyanide pellets escaped from wooden and plastic packaging in rugged terrain during near-cyclonic rainfall conditions.

PNG Disaster and Emergency Services have issued a warning to people living in the vicinity not to drink from any natural water sources, but fear the message may not have been received by remote communities.

"This accident comes hot on the heels of the disastrous cyanide spill caused by another Australian gold mine in Romania", said the Mr Geoff Evans, Director of the Sydney-based mining watchdog, the Mineral Policy Institute. "There is mounting evidence that using cyanide to extract gold is inherently dangerous. The high risk of cyanide accidents outweigh the dubious benefits of mining gold. We are being forced to question whether cyanide usage in gold mining should be limited or even banned."

The Tolukuma mine is owned by Dome Resources, an mining company with headquarters in Sydney, Australia. The accident occurred on Tuesday morning, but the company only located the lost cyanide today. Managing Director, Mr Michael Silver, said that staff were now on the ground, attempting to contain and decontaminate the cyanide spill.

However, given the delay in locating the cyanide and the near-cyclonic conditions at the site of the accident, the Mineral Policy Institute fears that cyanide may have already dissolved into surface waters and escaped the clean-up site.

Cyanide is so toxic that a teaspoon of a two-percent solution can kill a human adult, effectively "suffocating" the victim. Fish and other aquatic organisms are killed by much lower doses. In favourable conditions, much of the cyanide will breakdown within a week, although not before serious damage may have been done. However, a significant amount of cyanide will persist in toxic breakdown compounds for long periods.

Landowners downstream from the Tolukuma mine have been concerned about water contamination from the mine for some months. They have commissioned a certified laboratory analysis of water samples taken prior to the cyanide accident from the Auga river, downriver of the Tolukuma mine's waste (tailings) discharge point.

The results of the Mineral Policy Institute's preliminary investigation strongly suggests that toxic waste with levels of metals well in excess of Australian standards in Australia are being discharged into the river. Two kilometres downstream of the mine's waste outfall the water is still extremely rich in the dissolved toxic metals Copper, Lead, Zinc Mercury and Silver, to the extent where serious impacts on freshwater life would be expected.

Seven kilometres downstream, copper and mercury are still present in river water at significant levels. A sample taken at St Joseph's Bridge approximately 20km downstream is still significant in these two metals.

"The company is clearly engaging in unacceptable practices in both dumping its waste in the river and in its lack of precautions in transporting highly toxic material. The problems arising from riverine dumping of mine waste has been demonstrated by the cases of Porgera and Ok Tedi. All over the world, people are outraged that these Australian mining companies are dumping highly toxic materials into their environments. It is totally unacceptable and has got to stop." Mr Evans concluded.

For media enquiries:

Geoff Evans, Director, Mineral Policy Institute
Tel: (02) 9387 5540, Mobile: 0418 261 404

Igor O'Neill
Mineral Policy Institute -
Monitoring the mining industry; Campaigning for better social
and environmental practice; Working with local communities.
Web: http://mpi.org.au
P.O. Box 21 Bondi Junction, NSW 1355 Australia
Phone: 61 (0)2 93875540, Fax: 61 (0)2 93861497