Landslide in gold mine in Erzincan caused alarm!

Due to a landslide in a gold mine in İliç, Erzincan, the ongoing search and rescue efforts for 9 workers who were trapped under cyanide soil brought the issue of occupational health and safety to the agenda again.

Stating that there is no controlled accumulation in the mine in Erzincan, and that the total slag comes like a landslide, Head of the OHS Department and OHS Specialist Asst. Prof. Rüştü Uçan said that "It is a very dangerous material. I hope it does not reach the streams.”

Stating that it is very difficult to find a force to stop it when it starts to slide in an area such as a hillside, Rüştü Uçan expressed that "That's why it should be placed in flatter areas. It is put on the hillside, and it is coming. And when it starts to come, it continues like a snowball. It looks like a major environmental disaster.”

Noting that such dents and slips are not common in metal mines, Occupational Health and Safety Specialist Asst. Prof. Nuri Bingöl stated that "The feasibility study starts systematically from the moment the mine is established. It starts from the moment it is planned that the slag will be discharged there. Where is it going to be discharged, is the ground solid?" Due to a landslide in a gold mine in İliç, Erzincan, the ongoing search and rescue efforts for 9 workers who were trapped under cyanide soil brought the issue of occupational health and safety to the agenda again.

Üsküdar University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Head of Occupational Health and Safety Department, Asst. Prof. Rüştü Uçan evaluated the soil discharge in a gold mine in Erzincan and the workers being under cyanide soil.

"There is about 1 percent gold in the gold mine"

Noting that there is about 1 percent gold in the gold mine, and that 99 percent gold is obtained by mixing gold with cyanide and hydrogen sulfide, Asst. Prof. Rüştü Uçan stated that "It is said that there are nearly 39 toxic substances in the remaining slag, in scientific publications. It is kind of piled up. While this is piling up, it does not seem to be a controlled pile. And that suddenly comes down like a landslide. It is like a landslide, and it comes from total slag. It is a very dangerous material. I hope it does not reach the streams."

Uçan stated that the cyanide in the rust will mix with rain or water and the hydrogen will turn into cyanide vapor, and it is very dangerous until it flies in the air and disappears. Uçan said that "The problem here is the heavy elements in the rust. HM (heavy metal) ions play an important role in complex biochemical reactions. Non-essential HMs such as Ag (Silver), As (Arsenic), Cd (Cadmium), Pb (Lead) and Hg (Mercury) have no biological significance for living organisms and are very toxic when found in the ecosystem, it is necessary to examine whether they pass into groundwater."

"It needs to be discharged on flatter areas, not in places where there is a risk of slipping"

Stating that the liquid part is kept in a place like a pond, Asst. Prof. Rüştü Uçan said that "However, you take 1 percent of the mine, 99 percent of it stays outside. Its soil is like a construction excavation. You took a very small part of it, like 1 percent, 99 percent left. That 99 percent spills somewhere. When it is discharged, it should be discharged in flatter areas, not in places where there is such a risk of slipping."

Uçan also stated that it is said that there is something that has been accumulating for about 40 years and said that "The problem with the environment is huge. It is very difficult to find the 9 people who are under the ground. There have been nearly 18 such accidents in the world. The size of all of them is almost one-tenth of ours."

"It should be placed in flatter areas. It is put on the hillside"

Stating that it is very difficult to find a force to stop it when it starts to slide in an area such as a slope, Uçan said that "That's why it should be placed in flatter areas. It is put on the hillside, and it is coming. And when it starts to come, it continues like a snowball. It looks like a major environmental disaster.”

Reminding that the sliding soil is the non-gold part from which gold is tried to be found by mixing with cyanide and other sulfuric acid, Uçan said, "This material is flowing. It is what it seems because it is not something fixed. If it's a rock, it will hold on to something. This is the soil that is being moved. It should not be placed in a place where there is a risk of such landslides."

"Such dents and slips are not common in metal mines"

In his evaluation on the subject, Üsküdar University Faculty of Health Sciences Vice Dean, Occupational Health and Safety Specialist Asst. Prof. Nuri Bingöl stated that such accidents have started to be encountered very frequently in mines; however, the interesting thing is that such dents and slips are not common in metal mines.

Noting that occupational safety measures are taken at a high level, especially in places operated by global companies, Bingöl stated that "There is a landslide here. A slip in which the slag was discharged is coming down. I think because it is on a transit route, and the landslide has fallen on the workers. Think of it like an avalanche falling."

"It is known that in South America, there are cases where people die under the ground in such accidents"

Regarding the rescue of 9 people trapped under the ground, Bingöl said that "While there is life, there is hope, that is, we have to have hope somehow, but we know from our previous experiences that such rescue efforts are difficult works" and explained that it is known that people die under the ground in such accidents, especially in South America.

Regarding taking security measures with the terrace system to prevent landslides, Nuri Bingöl stated that "A terrace system is built so that it does not slip. These are the applications that concern the construction works and are carried out within the framework of the construction works and mining regulations."

"I cannot say that there is negligence here, but since there was an accident, it will be revealed as a result of the investigations"

Noting that sometimes there may be neglected points in cases where all kinds of precautions are taken, Nuri Bingöl said, "I cannot say that there is negligence here, but since there is an accident, there will be some facts that may arise as a result of some investigations. We use several techniques and systems. Apart from the technique of mining engineering, there are also geological engineering and civil engineering techniques. Terrace system, shoring system... Somehow, some systematic techniques need to be used, such as the waste materials that come out of that slag or waste should not be increased too much.”

"The feasibility study starts systematically from the moment the mine is established"

Commenting on whether there should be a dam or screening, Nuri Bingöl said, "It must be. Firstly, the ratio should not shift. First, a ground survey is carried out. Is the ground solid? Is there any ground to carry that burden?"

Reminding that the liquefaction of the ground was mentioned in the February 6 earthquakes, Bingöl stated that “There may be similar situations here. The feasibility study begins systematically from the moment the mine begins to be established. It starts from the moment it is planned that the slag will be thrown there. Where will it be discharged, is the ground solid, is there a problem? After it starts to be lined up, the slags on top of each other, there is a screening system, there is a shoring system, what we call shoring is to support it from the edge by giving a slope. When it is supported by such a support, we expect it not to slip when the ground is solid."

"We all know that a cyanide-contaminated soil should not be touched"

Nuri Bingöl also stated that he did not have an idea about how the chemical content could cause harm and said that "Ultimately, we all know the harms of cyanide. There, of course, there is a search operation by wearing some gloves, masks, and protective clothing. We all know that a cyanide-contaminated soil should not be touched; however, I cannot say too much about how it is transmitted by respiration, its partial evaporation, its condition when it is released by air."

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)