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Successful conclusion of regional workshop on Environmental Technology Assessment of Cyanide Processing

The recent mining accident in Baia Mare, Romania has focussed world attention on the safe use of cyanide. In its closing statement to a recent workshop on "Environmental Technology Assessment (EnTA) of Cyanide Technology", UNEP drew attention again to the need to more systematically evaluate environmental consequences of technology options before they pass into widespread use.

The workshop held in Johannesburg, South Africa, 21 to 25 February, brought together 35 officials and experts from the SADC region representing government, academic institutions, NGOs, industry and consultants. The workshop was a collaborative effort between the Carl Duisberg Gesellschaft (CDG), the University of the Witwatersrand and UNEP, using in particular a new workbook developed by UNEP and other technical documents concerning environmental safety at mines.

This workshop had the dual objective of studying the safety risks and environmental consequences of current cyanide processes, and evaluating the application of EnTA to mining technology.

Based on the methodology outlined in UNEP's new EnTA workbook, the workshop was able to provide a systematic overview of the technical aspects of cyanide use and supporting technologies, examine the potential environmental impacts, and review the wider societal implication. Alternative technologies were examined from the point of view of providing other options that use less hazardous substances for metals extraction. The Baia Mare accident provided a compelling context for the examination of all aspects of continued use of cyanide in the mining industry.

The methodological aspects of the EnTA procedure were examined by the workshop, including the timing of EnTA and EIA at different points in the project cycle. The workshop agreed that EnTA should apply early in the development trajectory of a technology so that environmental consequences can be predicted. Participants indicated their intention to apply the EnTA methodology in future in their own national contexts.

The workshop provided decision-makers in the mining sector with improved skills in environmental technology assessment. It also helped to encourage the wider use of other assessment methodologies such as life-cycle assessment (LCA) and Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) for industrial projects, and chemical risk assessment (CRA) for processing chemicals. These methodologies are already in use in other industries, and now need to be more widely applied also in the mining sector.

For further information contact:

D. Limpitlaw, Dept of Mining Engineering, Univ. of the Witwatersrand, fax 27 11 339 3590, Limpitlaw@egoli.min.wits.ac.za

F. Balkau, UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and Economics, Paris, fax 33 1 4437 1474, fbalkau@unep.fr

For information on the Baia Mare incident - http://www.mineralresourcesforum.org/