| If you're like most people, you want to know that | | | | cyanide-containing waste into watercourses and |
| what you're investing in, no matter how you go | | | | these issues got major press attention. |
| about doing it, isn't causing more harm than good. | | | | Over the last couple of decades, however, |
| That's one reason there are many questions | | | | cyanide safety has become both a science and an |
| about the use of cyanide in processing gold- and | | | | institution. Most major gold producers belong to an |
| silver-bearing ores. Much of the world's gold today | | | | international organization which sets standards for |
| is acquired through the use of cyanide, either on | | | | handling cyanide. |
| leach pads or in mills. | | | | Cyanide even used to make cosmetics |
| The question is, is it safe? | | | | By the way, many industries use cyanide and all |
| While the question might be considered | | | | have become more attuned to using it safety |
| ambiguous, I'll answer it "yes," then explain. | | | | over recent decades. More than one and a |
| To misquote Bill Clinton, define safe. Is a car safe? | | | | quarter million tons of cyanide are produced each |
| Then why are there 10s of thousands of fatalities | | | | year, with almost 90 percent of that used for |
| in the United States each year? Are hospitals | | | | basic industrial and consumers items, including |
| safe? Then why are there 100,000 doctor- and | | | | plastics, pharmaceuticals and even cosmetics. Just |
| hospital-caused fatalities each year? | | | | over 10 percent is used in mining. |
| Cars and hospital are things we "need" and we're | | | | Fortunately for all of us, cyanide, which is basically |
| willing to overlook a "few" safety issues in order | | | | carbon and nitrogen along with sodium, calcium or |
| to have them. Gold doesn't fall into that category, | | | | potassium, breaks down quickly upon exposure in |
| so we have almost zero tolerance. In fact, there | | | | non-alkaline conditions; in other words, to keep it |
| are a few people who don't want us to be mining | | | | useful for mining, it must be carefully controlled. |
| gold at all, saying it isn't worth the cost. | | | | Most mining companies in the "third world" are |
| Cyanide for processing gold came into use in the | | | | North American firms, which much meet U.S. or |
| 1890s, replacing mercury (which has a far worse | | | | Canadian standards for environmental rules and |
| safety record.) It really started to be used in the | | | | for safety and have to report back to |
| gold boom of the 1980s, when the price of gold | | | | shareholders who are general far more concerned |
| shot up 10 times what it had ever been before. | | | | about these issues than the general public. |
| Workers knew virtually nothing about the effects | | | | So, is cyanide a reason to keep from investing in |
| of cyanide (yes, it's the same stuff that used by | | | | gold? Not unless the investor demands a perfect |
| spies to kill themselves when captured) and failed | | | | world. Then he won't have a chance to invest in |
| to take precautions. Miners allowed spills of | | | | much at all. |