错误诠释山埃

彭亨劳勿县内的武吉公满（Bukit Koman）新村位处金矿区，名副其实“遍地黄金”；去年杪开始，这个富裕安谧、享福百年的华人新村，却因“山埃”蓄势入侵，陷入了极度的惶恐中。

山埃（氰化物，cyanide，化学式CN）是一种剧毒物质，会阻止人体细胞吸收氧气，人类吸入高浓度氰化钠气体或吞食致死剂量的氰化钠，几乎可以立即停止呼吸而死亡。由于山埃可与97%的金结合，增高炼金产量；因此自1960年以来，金矿商便大量使用这种有害化学物质采金。

去年8月21日，伦敦上市公司半岛金矿有限公司（Peninsular Gold Limited）独资拥有的劳勿澳洲金矿私人有限公司（Raub Australian Gold Mining Sdn Bhd）在村民毫不知情的情况下，成功取得彭亨州矿物及地质科学局（Jabatan Mineral dan Geosains Pahang）的白纸黑字批准，在武吉公满新村的金矿区以山埃采金。据悉。目前该公司已在这个紧挨武吉公满新村的金矿区建设采金基建。

明日，曾聒准备亲自上金山了解这采金状况，了解山埃之用法，任何人有兴趣可联络本人：

日期：14-6-2009（星期日）
时间：未定，可能是中午
地点：RAUB
人数：5人（至今已有2人）-除非自己可以开车
联络：012-2634433

在还没有出发之前请先参考以下文章：

Nonsense to claim someone can get sick from cyanide
I have been involved in exploration and mining for 40 years around the world. Half my experience has been in gold mining including in the former Raub Gold Mine (1986 to 1987), the centre of this dispute.

Cyanide was first ever used in gold mining in Bau, Sarawak at the turn of the 20th century by the Borneo Company. Cyanide (sodium cyanide) is used to dissolve gold (including silver) as gold cyanides (cyanide/cyanades/thiocyanides). In the old days, the dissolved gold is recovered with zinc dust (Merrill Crowe Process) and then smelted into gold bars.

In the 1950s, resins were used to absorb the dissolved gold cyanides and gold could then be recovered by electrolysis. This was replaced by activated carbon (most of which is being produced in Malaysia from coconut shells). The cyanides/cyanides/thiocyanides will remain in the tailings water as stable metal complexes.

Internationally, to meet environmental compliance, these are require to be denatured using chlorine, iodine and common hydrogen peroxide before discharge. In fact, these are more harmful to the environment as they will kill plant life and increase BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand).

But all environmental agencies insist on this antiquated law. The regulations also insist in denaturing free cyanide radicals (unused sodium cyanide). These could cause death if a sufficient quantity is consumed.

But all mining operations use a very low concentration of cyanide at 110 to 150 ppm (parts per million) and tailing waters are further diluted by other waters especially storm water many fold. Environmental protection agencies should ensure that cyanide concentrations be kept at such diluted levels.

Cyanide is not a poison as it is a carbon-nitrogen compound and will disintegrate in UV light. It would, however, prevents the blood from absorbing oxygen and anyone consuming too much will die of suffocation. Cyanide occurs naturally in many roots especially unripe tapioca. The indigenous people have been using these to ‘poison' fish and yet the fish is edible.

For more than 100 years since cyanide had been used for gold mining, there have been only two instances of accidental death reported due to cyanide poisoning. Such dangers can be limited by the following:

1. Tight control of the circuit of mine water with safety ponds properly constructed to prevent any overflow due to surges in mine waters during floods. These safety ponds must be constructed and maintained to meet strict safety codes.

2. All mine waters be re-circulated (this is a common practice to use up all the free cyanide as cyanide is expensive) so that only small amounts of concentrated inert cyanide solutions require de-naturing

3. The biggest danger from cyanide is hydrogen cyanide gas that is odourless but deadly (used for gas chambers). Hydrogen cyanide gas will result if cyanide occurs in an acidic environment. All mines should ensure all mine waters are alkaline and cyanide monitors installed at strategic areas especially enclosed areas. Once in the open, the concentration of hydrogen cyanide gas is so diluted that it will never pose a threat

4. If required, the mine could be operating with zero discharge. There is also technology available to recycle cyanide. This strategy is in the interest of the mine operator as it would save cyanide consumption as the cyanide is recycled.Several saleable metals (eg, arsenic, copper, lead, zinc) would be recovered as well instead of being discharged. These normally cause serious environmental pollution.

5. The concentration of cyanide solutions used in the mining operation must not exceed 150 ppm. At this concentration, an adult requires to drink 10 Coke cans of the cyanide solution to be affected. So the risk of accidental deaths is minimal. Some miners use higher concentrations thinking it will speed up the gold dissolution process. Actually, it does not help and even at low concentrations it would soon reach a equilibrium and the kinetics of the chemistry will not improve.

6. Adequate monitoring must be installed to avoid any accidental spills into the environment.

The current concerns by the Bkt Koman villages are due to misinformation, fear-mongering and emotion. It is nonsense to claim someone can get sick from cyanide.

If you consume too much you just ‘suffocate' and die, you do not get sick. I had operated a small ‘Heap Leach' operation in Kelantan in the 1990s with no cyanide hazards. There are so many gold mines using cyanide being operated around the world with no danger or health hazard.

Bukit Koman is immediately downstream from the mining operations. But the mining operations can be designed to minimise any risk. In this case, the environment authorities should insist on a zero discharge of liquid waste and all solid waste must be stored in proper, waterproof, non- biodegradable storage areas that could be rehabilitated effectively at the end of mining operations.

I will be happy to supply any interested party detailed information on cyanide and gold mining operations and cyanide recycling and safety practices.


From : Kit Lee