Turkey has been experiencing a state of alert and mobilization since Tuesday night after a major landslide occurred in a gold mine in the Erzincan region in the east of the country. While various teams were continuing their search for 9 trapped workers, an atmosphere of anxiety and warnings prevailed over the past hours about “the dangers of leakage of the chemical cyanide.”
The Kobler gold mine is located 300 kilometers from the Euphrates River, and Turkish media explained that the huge piles of soil whose massive collapse was documented in video clips “consist of materials washed with cyanide and sulfuric acid.”
The environmental risks associated with the name “cyanide” are not considered unprecedented in Turkey. Going back, this chemical, which is used in gold mining operations, has caused pollution incidents, the largest and most famous of which occurred in Romania in 2000.
24 years ago, a dam of cyanide waste exploded in the Baia Mare mine of the Orol Gold Mining Company in Romania, leading to its leakage into the Soms River and killing large numbers of fish in Hungary and Yugoslavia.
Following this incident, the International Cyanide Management Code (ICMC) was established.
Although many mining companies have signed the law related to this code, according to the information provided by its official website, there is no mention of the “Anna Gold” company, the owner of the investment in the Erzincan mine, which is 80 percent owned by a Canadian company and 20 percent by a Turkish company.
What is cyanide? Why are there concerns about the possibility of it leaking into water or soil? What do experts say?
“Race against time”
In the latest developments in the “disaster,” as Turkish circles describe it, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that 827 individuals are participating in the search for the trapped workers.
He explained that the collapse occurred along a slope about 200 meters high, adding that the total volume of the sliding mass of soil reached 10 million cubic metres.
Yerlikaya continued that it is estimated that “the mass moved about 800 meters, at an average speed of 10 meters per second.”
After 4 public prosecutors were assigned to investigate the incident, as announced by the Minister of Justice, Yilmaz Tun, the Habertürk website reported that the authorities arrested 4 field managers working in the mine.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked “to mobilize all resources for ongoing search and rescue efforts,” according to the Hurriyet newspaper.
Former Prime Minister Bin Ali Yildirim also made a statement to reporters in the area, and stated that the area of the collapsed slide of dust extends over an area of 300 dunams.
While Yildirim hinted that the work might take a very long time, he answered the question regarding allegations of the possibility of cyanide leaking into the Euphrates River, by saying that “the chemical is kept in a separate place.”
“Existing anxiety and denial”
Dispelling concerns about cyanide leaking into the Euphrates River was not limited to Bin Yildirim alone.
The Ministry of Environment issued a statement announcing “the closure of the channel through which the Saperli River reaches the Euphrates, to prevent flowing materials from reaching the latter.”
The Misinformation Center in the Communications Directorate of the Presidency of the Republic also reported that “the claim that (cyanide dust flowed into the Euphrates River) as a result of the landslide in the gold mine is incorrect.”
However, the tone of concern and warnings remained among environmental experts and journalists. They expressed their “fears of an environmental catastrophe” through social media sites and the media.
Writer Mahmoud Ogucho said in an article on the “Yetkin Report” blog that “if cyanide leaks into the Euphrates River, as is feared, the matter will turn into a natural disaster, which some people call (a second Chernobyl).”
He added, “If the damage becomes a reality, it will not only affect Erzincan, but will also affect eight other provinces and two neighboring countries fed by the Euphrates River (Syria and Iraq).”
The Euphrates River enters the territory of Syria and then Iraq, and merges with the Tigris River, to form the Shatt al-Arab and empties into the Arabian Gulf.
Ogocho continued: “We are facing a very important issue that cannot be overlooked or forgotten in a short time with the classic rhetoric that says: (The necessary investigations are being conducted, an investigation committee has been formed, and the guilty will be punished).”
In turn, the Turkish Union of Chambers of Engineers and Architects urged the government to close the mine “immediately,” saying that its previous warnings about a looming disaster had been ignored. He added in a statement: “All those responsible for the disaster must be held accountable before the judiciary.”
Basaran Aksu, a representative of the Independent Mining Workers Union, pointed out that cyanide fumes and the soft terrain hamper search and rescue work.
He explained to Agence France-Presse, saying: “If a heavy construction machine enters the area, it will drown. Even if the rescuers were, they would cause chemical suffocation.”
This is not the first time that the Kobler gold mine, located in Erzincan, has been at the forefront of Turkish circles in the country.
In June 2023, an incident opened the doors to warnings, when one of the pipes carrying “cyanide” exploded, and 20 cubic meters of the solution spread into the environment.
While the company “Anna Gold” acknowledged the leak at the time, it said in its statement that the amount of “cyanide” in the leaked solution amounted to about 8 kilograms and that it was cleaned quickly.
After the company also stressed in its statement its contribution to the Turkish economy, media reported that the government imposed an administrative fine on it of 16.4 million liras, without taking a decision to ban it.
What is “cyanide”?
“Sodium cyanide,” as it is scientifically called, is a chemical used in gold extraction operations, as environmental expert Dr. Naji Qudeih explains.
He explains in an interview with Al-Hurra website that gold is present in nature and soil, but it is in very small quantities and is linked to other elements.
Therefore, the process of dismantling it, extracting it, and cleaning it from the rest of the materials associated with it requires the use of other chemicals, the most important of which are sodium cyanide salts, according to Qudaih.
The separation process usually occurs as a result of chemical reactions.
The environmental expert explains that “cyanide, like toxic salts, has a dangerous characteristic in terms of health and the environment, as it is highly toxic.”
The toxic chemical is still widely used in processing certain ores, most notably gold.
Cyanide was first used successfully in gold mining in the late nineteenth century, and in Turkey it has topped mining operations since the establishment of the Bergama Avacik mine in 2001.
Turkish media indicate that nearly 20 companies in Turkey are currently using it to extract gold.
According to the information provided by the International Cyanide Management Code (ICMC), mining companies need to adopt more education and transparency when it comes to “cyanide” and local communities.
It explains on its official website that “mentioning the name of this chemical conjures the worst fears,” and that it is “highly toxic to humans, other mammals, and aquatic species at relatively low doses.”
However, the blog says it is “not carcinogenic and does not bioaccumulate, i.e. within the tissues of living organisms.”
How is it used?
In mining operations, cyanide plays a role in transforming soil that is believed to contain metals into small particles.
After processing the crude obtained from rocks and dust, the remaining chemical waste is purified with water and preserved in a waste basin for reuse.
Expert Qudayh explains that “protective measures are necessary to prevent miners from being exposed to the chemical or even getting it into the soil and water.”
He points out that it can be recycled and processed after extracting the gold, in a plan that is considered “important to prevent having to use new and large quantities” on the one hand and not to cause any environmental risks on the other hand.
The main goal of processing and recycling is to break down the chemical composition of the substance, so that its toxicity is eliminated.
Qudaih adds, “The process of treatment and crushing is necessary, and with regard to gold mines, there must be a station for treating the waste, that is, breaking down its chemical composition before disposing of it.”
If the materials are disposed of without treatment, this will lead to pollution of the soil and surface and groundwater sources.
However, the environmental expert says, “Cyanide is not highly stable, meaning that it does not remain with the same chemical composition in nature for a long time.”
He adds that it “stabilizes in nature from one to three weeks and then disintegrates due to climatic and physical factors,” without taking away from its high toxicity, as the environmental expert confirms.
#Fears #raised #disaster #Turkey. #cyanide
2024-02-14 13:41:21
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