Search and rescue efforts for 9 workers trapped under cyanide-laced soil due to a landslide at a gold mine in İliç, Erzincan, have brought the issue of occupational health and safety back to the agenda.
Dr. Rüştü Uçan, Head of Occupational Health and Safety Expert, Asst. Prof. Dr., stated that there was no controlled accumulation visible at the mine in Erzincan, and the total tailings came down like a landslide, adding, “It's a very dangerous material. Hopefully, it won't reach the rivers.”
Rüştü Uçan also stated that it is very difficult to find a force to stop it once it starts sliding in an area like a slope. He added, “That's why it needs to be placed in flatter areas. This has been placed on a slope and is coming down. And when it starts coming, it continues like a snow pile. A major environmental disaster is apparent.”
Occupational Health and Safety Expert Asst. Prof. Dr. Nuri Bingöl noted that these types of collapses and landslides are not common occurrences in metal mines, and said, “Feasibility studies begin systematically from the moment a mine is established. It starts from the moment it is planned where those tailings will be dumped. Where will they be dumped? Is the ground stable?”
Search and rescue efforts for 9 workers trapped under cyanide-laced soil due to a landslide at a gold mine in İliç, Erzincan, have brought the issue of occupational health and safety back to the agenda.
Head of the Occupational Health and Safety Department at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Health Sciences, Asst. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan, evaluated the landslide at a gold mine in Erzincan and the trapping of workers under cyanide-laced soil.
“Gold mine contains about 1 percent gold”
Asst. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan noted that gold mines contain about 1 percent gold, with 99 percent of the gold being extracted by mixing it with cyanide and hydrogen sulfide. He stated, “It is said in scientific publications that there are nearly 39 toxic substances in the remaining tailings. This has accumulated in some way. While accumulating, there seems to be no controlled accumulation. And it suddenly comes down like a landslide. This total amount of tailings comes down like a landslide. It is a very dangerous material. Hopefully, it won't reach the rivers.”
Uçan stated that the cyanide in the tailings, when mixed with rain or water, would turn into hydrogen cyanide vapor, which is very dangerous until it evaporates into the air. He added, “The problem here is the heavy elements within the tailings. HM (heavy metal) ions play an important role in complex biochemical reactions. Non-essential HMs like Ag (Silver), As (Arsenic), Cd (Cadmium), Pb (Lead), and Hg (Mercury) have no biological significance for living organisms and are very toxic when present in the ecosystem; it is necessary to examine whether they have seeped into groundwater.”
“It needs to be dumped in flatter areas, not places with a risk of landslide"
Asst. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan stated that the liquid part is kept in a pond-like area, but added, “You take 1 percent of the mine, and 99 percent remains outside. It's like construction excavation soil. You took a very small part, like 1 percent, and 99 percent remained. This 99 percent is dumped somewhere. When it is dumped, it needs to be deposited in flatter areas, not places with such a risk of sliding.”
Uçan also mentioned that it is said to be something that has accumulated for about 40 years, stating, “The environmental problem is very significant. Finding the 9 people trapped under the soil is very difficult. There have been nearly 18 similar accidents in the world. The scale of all of them is almost one-tenth of ours.”
“It needs to be placed in flatter areas. This has been placed on a slope”
Uçan also stated that it is very difficult to find a force to stop it once it starts sliding in an area like a slope. He added, “That's why it needs to be placed in flatter areas. This has been placed on a slope and is coming down. And when it starts coming, it continues like a snow pile. A major environmental disaster is apparent.”
Uçan reminded that the sliding soil is the non-gold part that was mixed with cyanide and other sulfuric acid in an attempt to find gold. He concluded by saying, “This material is flowing. That's what it looks like, because it's not a fixed thing. If it were a rock, it would cling to a place. But this is transported soil. It should not be placed in a place with this kind of landslide risk.”
“These types of collapses and landslides are not common occurrences in metal mines”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Health Sciences Vice Dean, Occupational Health and Safety Expert Asst. Prof. Dr. Nuri Bingöl, in his assessment of the issue, stated that these types of accidents are becoming quite common in mines, but the interesting aspect is that such collapses and landslides are not frequently observed in metal mines.
Bingöl also noted that occupational safety measures are taken at a high level, especially in places operated by global companies. He said, “There is a landslide here. It's a slide where the extracted tailings were dumped. I think the landslide, since it was on a transition route, collapsed on the workers. Think of it like an avalanche.”
“Situations where people are trapped and die in such accidents are known in South America”
Regarding the rescue of the 9 people trapped under the soil, Bingöl said, “Hope is never lost from God, so we must have hope in some way, but we know from our past experiences that these types of rescue operations are challenging.” He further explained that situations where people are trapped and die in such accidents are known, especially in South America.
Regarding safety measures to prevent landslides with a terrace system, Nuri Bingöl said, “A terrace system is built to prevent sliding. These are practices related to construction works and carried out within the framework of construction works regulations and mining regulations.”
“I cannot say there is negligence here, but since it is an accident, it will emerge from the results of investigations”
Asst. Prof. Dr. Nuri Bingöl noted that even when all kinds of precautions are taken, there can sometimes be overlooked points. He stated, “I cannot say there is negligence here, but since it is an accident, certain truths will emerge from the results of some investigations. We use certain techniques and systems. Besides mining engineering techniques, there are also geological engineering and civil engineering techniques. Terrace systems, shoring systems… It is necessary to use certain systematic techniques, such as not raising the waste materials from those tailings or waste too high.”
“Feasibility study systematically starts from the moment the mine begins to be established”
Nuri Bingöl also evaluated whether a dam or barrier should be present, saying, “It absolutely must be. First, that area should not slide. A ground survey is done first. Is the ground stable? Is there ground capable of carrying that load?”
Bingöl reminded that ground liquefaction was discussed during the February 6 earthquakes, and said, “Similar situations may occur here. Feasibility studies systematically begin from the moment a mine is established. It starts from the moment it is planned where those tailings will be dumped. Where will they be dumped? Is the ground stable? Is there a problem? After the tailings start to stack up, there would be a barrier system there, or a shoring system, which means supporting it from the side by giving it a slope. When it is supported in that way, and the ground is stable, we would already expect it not to slide.”
“We all know that cyanide-laced soil should not be touched”
Nuri Bingöl also stated that he had no idea how the chemical content could cause harm, saying, “Ultimately, we all know the dangers of cyanide. Of course, search operations there involve wearing gloves, masks, and protective clothing. We all know that cyanide-laced soil should not be touched, but I cannot say much about how it spreads through the respiratory system, its partial evaporation, or its state when exposed to air.”