In case the news have passed you by, on the 28th of March 2017 a cyanide spill incident took place at the Veladero mine in Argentina.
The Veladero mine is located in the San Juan province, West Argentina, home of “El Valle de la Luna”, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The main economic activities in this region are agriculture (wine and olive oil, among other products), manufacturing and, as you might have guessed, mining. Around 544,000 ounces of gold were produced in Veladero in 2016, and its mineral reserves are expected to be at least ten times higher. This mine is at the forefront of innovation and generates 20% of its electricity demand using the world’s highest-altitude wind turbine, installed in December 2007.
Due to the rupture of a cyanide-carrying pipe in March of this year, the government of San Juan has temporarily restricted the use of cyanide until the damaged site has been repaired and verified. The Argentinian’s Environmental Ministry asked the Federal Court to halt activities at the site most likely because, unfortunately, similar episodes have taken place in the past 18 months.
September 12th, 2015. What initially was thought to be 15,000 liters of cyanide-containing solution turned out to be a more than one million liter leak, spilled into a nearby river. What happened? The cyanide-contaminated solution passed through all emergency pools and into a local river due to a malfunctioning sliding gate.
“The water did not contain cyanide or other contaminating metals, so I decided to lift the cautionary measure,” said a federal judge after reversing the imposed cyanide ban 12 days after.
September 8th, 2016. A large block of ice damaged a pipe carrying a cyanide-containing solution that leaked outside the processing area. Mining activities were temporarily suspended and the cyanide-containing solution did not reach any water courses.
March 28th, 2017. A ruptured pipe was responsible for spilling a cyanide-contaminated solution that, fortunately, did not leave the operating site. A few days ago, the provincial mining minister Alberto Hensel publicly manifested the province’s frustration with the situation. Until today, a ban on cyanide addition is in force.
These three incidents highlight the role of equipment failure at the Veladero mine. Enforcing the adoption of higher safety standards and recurrent investments on improved infrastructure are vital to the mining industry. Yet, our belief is that fast and simple cyanide detection methods that allow for instant, on-site detection can contribute to the early detection of cyanide spills. For more info, visit our website.
