Cyanide Spill Incidents 1983-2001
The following table presents major accidents that
have involved cyanide. The accidents are grouped by category of
possible cause. Every attempt is made to record all information
sources that are available. If you are aware of any information
that is not available here, and is relevant, could you please forward
this on to minerals.forum@unep.fr?
Tailings Dam Failure
|
Date
|
Location
|
Type
of Incident
|
Size
of Release / Impacts
|
Company
(Country)
|
|
30 Jan. 2000
|
Gold
mine in Baia Mare, Romania
|
Tailings dam crest failure after overflow during
the time of heavy rain and melting snow
|
100,000 m3 - impacting contamination
of streams and river, killing tonnes of fish and poisoning
the drinking water of more than 2 million people in Hungary
|
Auril S.A. (Romania) / Esmeralda, Exploration
Ltd. (Australia)
|
|
26 Apr. 1999
|
Gold mine in Placer, Surigao del Norte, Philippines
|
Tailings spill from damaged concrete pipe
|
700,000 tonnes – causing 17 homes buried, 51
hectares of riceland swamped
|
Manila Mining Corp. (Philippines)
|
|
1995
|
Gold mine in Australia
|
Dam overtopping
|
5,000 m3
|
Unknown
|
|
6 Jan. 1995
|
Gold mine in Mathinna, Tasmania, Australia
|
Dam failure
|
40,000 m3
|
Unknown
|
|
02 Sep. 1995
|
Surigao Del Norte, Philippines
|
Dam failure
|
50,000 m3 - 12 people killed, coastal
pollution causing fish kill
|
Manila Mining Corp. (Philippines)
|
|
19 Aug. 1995
|
Gold
mine in Omai, Guyana
|
Tailings dam failure from internal dam erosion
|
4.2 million m3 - causing 80 km of
Essequibo River declared environmental disaster zone, minor
fish kill
|
Cambior Inc.(Canada) / Golden Star Resources
Inc. (USA)
|
|
05 Jun. 1995
|
Mathinna, Tasmania
|
Dam failure (seepage)
|
40,000 m3 – causing polluted streams;
fish kill, cessation of operations, and owner bankrupt
|
Riltec
|
|
1991
|
Gold mine in USA
|
Dam overtopping
|
39,000 m3
|
Unknown
|
|
09 Jul. 1987
|
Surigao Del Norte, Philippines
|
Dam failure
|
Unknown - causing fish kill
|
Manila Mining Corp. (Philippines)
|
|
05 Jan. 1983
|
Gold mine in Whitehall, MT, USA
|
Leak from tailings dam
|
Estimated 160,000 gallons in one year - causing
contamination of wells
|
Golden Sunlight
|
|
1983
|
Gold mine in Siskiyou County, CA, USA
|
System water balance failure
|
Unknown
|
Grey Eagle
|
Pipeline Failure
Transportation Accident
|
Date
|
Location
|
Type
of Incident
|
Size
of Release / Impacts
|
Company
(Country)
|
|
01 Nov. 2001
|
Luo River in Henan province in China
|
Lorry accident
|
11 tonnes of Sodium Cyanide - impacting fish
kill
|
Unknown
|
|
29 Sep. 2000
|
Shanxi, China
|
Truck accident
|
5.2 tonnes of Sodium Cyanide - no direct cyanide
effects found
|
Unknown
|
|
21 Mar. 2000
|
Tolukuma
gold mine in Papua New Guinea
|
Helicopter accident
|
1 tonne of Sodium Cyanide
|
Dome Resources N.L. (Australia)
|
|
20 May 1998
|
Balykchy
Marshalling Yard to Kumtor mine site in Kyrgyzstan
|
Truck accident
|
1,800 kg Sodium Cyanide - no direct cyanide
effects found
|
Cameco (Canada)
|
Other Causes
|
Date
|
Location
|
Type
of Incident
|
Size
of Release / Impacts
|
Company
(Country)
|
|
28 Oct. 2001
|
Kubekro near Wassa Akyempim in the Western Region
Ghana
|
Unknown
|
Unknown
|
Satellite Goldfields (Ghana)
|
(As of 27 February 2002)
Disclaimer: UNEP DTIE makes every effort to ensure, but
does not guarantee, the accuracy of the information on this web
site. Hyperlinks to other web sites imply neither responsibility
for, nor approval of, the information contained in those other web
sites on the part of UNEP.
|
