Previous Environmental Disasters

Old mining operations frequently dumped wastes without concern for their physical or chemical stability or used milling and smelting techniques that released pollutants into the atmosphere, lakes and rivers. Some gold ores, for example, used to be roasted. These were heated until sulphur and arsenic in the ores were driven off as gases, which were released directly into the atmosphere. Another technique, the amalgamation process, used mercury to extract gold from ore. The mercury was then boiled off, leaving the gold behind. This process released mercury — one of the most environmentally hazardous of all the metals — into the atmosphere and often let it enter soil or water through spills. The poorly controlled burning of fossil fuels used to run mills and fire smelters also took its toll on the environment.

As people have begun to realize that fouled environments are unproductive and hostile ones, environmental controls have become stricter, and governments have taken a role in making sure that industries don’t make the mess they once did. Most industrialized countries have regulations governing air emissions, effluent discharges to watercourses and the disposal of solid wastes. Many less-developed countries, although they sometimes feel themselves faced with a choice between economic growth and a safe environment, are adopting stricter regulations too.

Both stricter regulations and the knowledge that environmental responsibility serves everyone’s interest have prompted mining companies to develop their own codes of practice to ensure that mining operations do not significantly harm their surroundings. Their goal is to adhere to these standards both at home and abroad.