Adverse Mining Effects on Environment

2011-05-22T23:54:00.000-07:00

Mining is to dig out materials from the earth to send to different industries and it is very popular these days. There are varieties of good examples of these materials including iron ore, gold, diamond, stone, asbestos, lead, coal, rare earth and very many others.

Materials play vital roles in building economies and determine their lives. On the other side, very many problems emanate from this process of mining. There are so many adverse effects that the environment suffers due to mining and the following are a highlight of some. For this reason, the following is a look at the top effects of mining on the environment.

Treasures including wetlands and forests could be induced by mining years later. This is usually unavoidable when mining has to take place in such areas. Precious material to be mined usually takes priority and many forests across the globe have been cleared in a bid to extend mining programs. Global warming is an example of the adverse effects that come with destruction of wetlands and forests and this is evident in the world. The aftermath is nothing short of devastation and many can witness this no matter where they are in the world. However, some countries have taken to afforestation in a bid to restore sanity in this regard.

Mining in some ways will produce some bad things to the environment. Lead is a metal that will be very poisonous and it is a good example in this regard. Apart from causing children to retard, lead has been reported to cause all sorts of illnesses by people and in many places, exposure to the deadly metal is a health hazard for sure. Through use of safer mining methods as well as general stoppage of it, the problem can be solvable but this is difficult.

The environment and the people would be affected in rare earth mining processes as well. Toxic chemicals and radioactive thorium and uranium particle are released into the air, water and soil. People will inhale them and after several years, cancer might start to form and this is definitely a health risk. Birth defects are among the most concern where it would lead a great suffer to the residents and also play a part in destroying species of animals. Awareness to this danger is invaluable and will be necessary. So, people will get to know all their rights as they seek to protect themselves.

The Danger of Toxic Waste

2011-05-21T04:07:00.000-07:00

Toxic waste is the by products of industrialized manufacturing plants or nuclear power plants. It is also known as hazardous waste and can cause serious injury and death to plants, animals or humans that come in contact with it. Some examples of it are the chemicals used in milling or mining, production of petroleum products; such as lead, arsenic, mercury, chlorine and different heavy elements.

Biomedical toxic types can include remains of serious pathogenic diseases, radioactive elements used in treatment of cancers or X-ray materials. Such hazards must be dealt with in a safe and secure manner by trained environmental technicians or more people could become exposed to the dangerous toxic waste.

Perhaps the most famous example of this is one of the Superfund sites that dealt with the effects of nuclear radiation near Three Mile Island a number of years ago. Millions of dollars and efforts were spent to deal with the effects of the radiation and the instances of cancer that skyrocketed for those living nearby. Governmental regulations dealing with the cleanup and restoration of such sites is extensive, with the companies that are responsible paying millions of dollars in damages and fines.

Two examples of toxic waste include the oil spills in Alaska and off of the Gulf Coast. These continue to affect the biology of thousands of animal, plant and marine life as well as livelihoods of hundreds of people and lost income. As a result of the toxic oil spill off of the Gulf Coast, many species of coral are in danger of becoming extinct. The fish and other food we get from the water can be hazardous to human health.

Despite these regulations, many companies and industrial plants are irresponsibly and illegally dumping industrial hazardous materials in waterways or other places just to get rid of them without paying to have them handled in a safe manner. The hazards to animals and humans are extensive especially if the waste gets into a local water system and pollutes the water underground. An example of this type of dumping occurred in Warren, Pennsylvania when transformers containing PBC’s were dumped all along remote parts of Warren County.

In the United States, the Environmental Protection Act is the governmental agency that regulates the hazardous materials, but the regulations have to be read carefully because they may pertain to what is allowed not how it is disposed of or the handling procedures needed for the various materials; that is the loophole the companies found in Warren County.

The handling of toxic waste requires special equipment and training, yet it is work worth doing, that of helping to keep our environment clean so we can live a healthier life and our children and grandchildren can have a better place.