The environment impact of mining can be severe. High concentrations of metals and acidic conditions can have adverse effects on the environment and the people. People involved in mining have the responsibility to protect the air, land, and water. In the past, the environmental impact of mining was not understood or appreciated as it is today.
- Air. All methods of mining affect air quality. Particulate matter is released in surface mining when overburden is stripped from the site and stored or returned to the pit. When the soil is removed, vegetation is also removed, exposing the soil to the weather, causing particulates to become airborne through wind erosion and road traffic. Particulate matter can be composed of such noxious materials as arsenic, cadmium, and lead. In general, particulates affect human health adversely by contributing to illnesses relating to the respiratory tract, such as emphysema, but they also can be ingested or absorbed into the skin. http:.//www.pollutionissues.com//Li-Na/Mining.html
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- Land. Mining can cause physical disturbances to the landscape, creating eyesores such as waste-rock piles and open pits. Such disturbances may contribute to the decline of wildlife and plant species in an area. In addition, it is possible that many of the premining surface features cannot be replaced after mining ceases. Mine subsidence (ground movements of the earth’s surface due to the collapse of overlying strata into voids created by underground mining) can cause damage to buildings and roads. http://www.pollutionissues.com/Li-Na/Mining.html
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- Water. Water-pollution problems caused by mining include acid mine drainage, metal contamination, and increased sediment levels in streams. Sources can include active or abandoned surface and underground mines, processing plants, waste-disposal areas, haulage roads, or tailings ponds. Sediments, typically from increased soil erosion, cause siltation or the smothering of stream beds. This siltation affects fisheries, swimming, domestic water supply, irrigation, and other uses of streams. http://www.pollutionissues.com/Li-Na/Mining.html
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http://ecorestoration.montana.edu/mineland/guide/problem/impacts/amd_formation.htm
http://www.pollutionissues.com/Li-Na/Mining.html
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