Mining and Sustainable Development II - DTIE

Mining
between NGOs and the public concerning emergency
preparedness, emergency response and
measures to limit damage should an accident
occur.
Like all industrial sectors, the mining industry
has risks specifically related to its operations. Some
risks are similar to those in other industries, such
as storage, handling, transportation and the use of
toxic chemicals. Hazardous materials are used at
most mining and mineral processing operations,
and many waste products generated by these operations
and stored in specially designed facilities at
mines can be hazardous to human health and the
environment.
Risks from tailings dams have drawn particular
attention, following failures at mines in Europe
and elsewhere. In August 1995, a tailings dam at
the Omai gold mine in Guyana, South America
failed, spilling water containing cyanide from the
tailings dam into one of the country’s main rivers.
At Los Frailes in Spain, the wall of the tailings
impoundment failed in April 1998, releasing
around 5.5 million cubic metres of acid water and
1.5 million tonnes of tailings from the polymetallic
mine into the local river and floodplain system.
2 Farmland was inundated, wells were
contaminated and the Doñana National Park, a
World Heritage Site and also a RAMSAR site was
threatened by the resulting pollution. In January
2000, a spill at Aurul SA Baia Mare gold mine, a
site in Romania reprocessing tailings, caused
extensive water pollution and fish kills in the Tisza
and Danube rivers, crossing national boundaries
into Hungary and the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia.
While accidents involving facilities or activities
other than tailings disposal do occur, they appear
to be generally less frequent. However, they still
have the potential to cause serious environmental
and health effects. A review of gold industry incidents
since 1975 reveals 72% of the incidents
involved tailings dams, while 14% involved pipe
failure and 14% transport accidents. 3 For example,
in May 1998, a truck carrying cyanide to
Kumtor mine in Kyrgystan overturned, spilling
cyanide into the river. Another example involving
the transport of cyanide to a site is that of a tonne
of sodium cyanide pellets falling from a helicopter
en route to Tolukuma mine in Papua New Guinea
in March 2000, and landing close to a stream. In
June 2000, a truck carrying mercury, a by product
of the mineral processing at Yanacocha gold
mine in Peru, spilled around 200 kilograms of
mercury from an opened flask as it passed through
a number of villages. Only 66 kilograms of the
mercury was recovered, and several hundred people
were treated in medical centres and hospitals as
a result of exposure to fumes and from direct contact
with the mercury.
What is APELL?
APELL provides a step-by-step description of how
to develop an integrated and functional emergency
response plan for local communities.
APELL identifies and creates awareness of risks in
communities living close to industrial facilities,
initiates measures for risk reduction and mitigation,
and develops preparedness for emergencies
involving industries, local governments, and communities.
APELL is comprised of a ten-step
approach to carrying out this process which was
originally developed with large industrial operations
in mind. Adapted so far for port facilities and
the transport industry, a Handbook for APELL
for the mining industry is expected to be released
in 2001.
How is APELL relevant to the minerals
industry?
The minerals industry is diverse – sites may be
found in all parts of the world, in all climatic
zones, extracting a variety of different minerals
and metals, using different mining methods, different
processing routes, different chemicals and
producing different end materials and wastes. Yet
there are also common features and similarities
between sites. Most sites use chemicals or processes
or produce materials that have the potential to
cause off-site incidents and therefore the APELL
process can be applied to them.
The table below gives examples of the sort of
accidents which are possible. Many of these have
actually occurred in the industry, but not all have.
Some of them however have occurred in other
industries. In mining most major accidents with
offsite impacts have been tailings accidents. The
possibilities are not raised to be dramatic or to fuel
fear of the industry, but in the interests of thoroughness
for contingency planning purposes.
What is the APELL process?
APELL’s overall goals are to prevent loss of life or
damage to health and social well being, ensure
environmental safety in the area surrounding and
avoid property damage by promoting community
preparedness.
APELL for the mining sector has two overall
goals. First, the process creates/increases community
awareness of the possible hazards involved in
the production, transport, handling, use and storage
of hazardous materials including tailings, waste
rock and chemicals, and the steps taken by authorities
and the company to protect the community
from them. Secondly, there is a need to develop, or
improve, on the basis of this information, and in
co-operation with the local communities and
emergency providers, effective response plans
involving the entire community, should an emergency
arise.
The specific objectives of the Process are fivefold,
namely:
◆ Communicate with potentially affected members
of the community on the hazards involved in
mining and mineral processing operations in their
neighbourhood and the measures taken to reduce
the resulting risks;
◆ Review, establish or update emergency response
plans in the local area;
◆ Increase company involvement in community
awareness and emergency response planning;
◆ Integrate company emergency plans with local
emergency response plans in one overall plan for
the community, to handle different possible emergencies;
and
◆ Involve members of the local community in the
development, testing and implementation of the
overall emergency response plan.
The 10 APELL steps
The APELL process has been designed along
ten steps which are outlined below:
◆ Identify the emergency response participants
and establish their roles, resources and concerns;
◆ Evaluate the risks and hazards that may result
in emergency situations in the community;
Potential accidents associated with mine sites and their effects
Type of incident Typical Causes Effects on communities
Tailings dam failure Piping, overtopping, foundation failure, Loss of life, water supplies, contamination
erosion, earthquake.
of wells, destruction of aquatic habitat, loss
of crops and contamination of farmland,
threat to protected habitat and loss of
livelihood
Failure of waste rock dump. Stability often related to water, such as s Loss of life, injuries, destruction of property,
prings, poor dump drainage
damage to ecosystems and farmland.
Spills of toxic chemicals Inadequate transport procedures Contamination of soil, water, effects on
en route to/from site. and equipment. water users, aquatic ecosystem damage.
Unsafe packaging
Release of chemicals Overtopping, piping breaks, Loss of food and water supply
from tailings dams foundation failure (see above) in subsistence areas, fish kills impacting
livlihoods, destruction of ecosystems,
increased community concerns
Subsidence Slope failure, breakthrough to surface Loss of life, damage to property
Spills of chemicals at site Poor maintenance, inadequate containment. Contamination of soil and water, poisoning
e.g. fuel tank rupture,
of water users. Air pollution could have
reagent store damage
health effects.
Fire Poor design, poor maintenance Effects of air pollution on health, property
and operation
damage
Atmospheric releases Inadequate design, failure to follow Community concern, possible health effects.
procedures, inadequate maintenance.
Explosions (plant) Inadequate design, failure to follow Community concern, loss of life, destruction
procedures, inadequate maintenance. of property.
Blasting and explosives Poor practice Property damage, risk to life
accidents
UNEP Industry and Environment – Special issue 2000 ◆ 69