International workshop considers cyanide code

A workshop organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Council on Metals and the Environment has laid the groundwork for an international code of practice for the use of cyanide in gold mining.

The need for such a code became evident after a tailings dam at the Baia Borsa mine in northwestern Romania gave way in late January, sending about 100,000 cubic metres of cyanide into the Tisza River, a tributary of the Danube. The spill, which destroyed natural habitat and tainted drinking water, focused the public’s attention on the risks associated with gold mining.

The workshop was held in May at L’cole des Mines in Paris, France. In attendance were 40 representatives of major companies and associations, including the Gold Institute, the World Gold Council, the European Commission, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the World Bank.

The workshop developed procedures for:

– identifying issues and principles that could be included in an industry code or in management system guidelines;

– recognizing the importance of promotion, acceptance, implementation, verification and reporting; and

– establishing a steering committee.

“This meeting was a significant development in that it was the first time that a group from the mining industry met to develop a code on environmental issues on a global basis,” says Fritz Balkau, UNEP’s chief of production and consumption. “We expect the implementation of such a code will reduce the frequency of serious accidents involving the use of cyanide and produce a greater degree of environmental and public safety.”