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A presentation about the cyanide spill incident occured in Baia Mare, Romania.
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CYANIDE SPILL AT BAIA MARE BY: SAHITHYA, KHUSHI AND YASHASVI
WHY WAS CYANIDE PRESENT IN THE DAM? THE CYANIDE SPILL IN BAIA MARE WAS CAUSE DUE TO THE OVERSPILLING UNTREATED WATER FROM THE TAILING DAM IN THE AREA. ON JANUARY 30, 2000 , DUE TO THE PRECIPITATION IN THE AREA THE DAM CREST WAS FLOODED AND OVER 25M OF THE WALL WAS WASHED AWAY. THE RUNOFF WATER FLOWED INTO THE NEARBY TISZA RIVER CONTAMINATING IT WITH CYANIDE AND OTHER HEAVY METALS. THE BAIA MARE AREA IS RICH IN GOLD AND HENCE GOLD PROCESSING PLANTS ARE SET UP THERE. GOLD DISSOLVES EASILY WITH CYANIDE COMPARED TO OTHER COMPOUNDS. THE PROCESSING PLANT WAS SET UP THERE DUE TO SUBPAR GOVT. REGULATIONS AND AVAILABLIITY OF WATER SOURCE. WHAT CAUSED THE SPILL?
PATH OF THE CYANIDE SPILL AND AFFECTED AREAS
THE DRASTIC EFFECTS OF THE CYANIDE SPILL ON THE ENVIRONMENT
AFFECT UPON MARINE LIFE ESTIMATED 80% OF ALL THE FISH IN THE TISZA RIVER DIED, THAT AMOUNTS TO THOUSANDS OF TONS OF FISHES. SOME FISH WERE FOUND TO CONTAIN 2.6 MG OF CYANIDE PER KILOGRAM OF WEIGHT. AROUND 30% TO 60% OF PLANKTON WERE ALSO KILLED. EXTENSIVE DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE RIVER'S ECOSYSTEM AND FAUNA AFFECTING THE BIRDS AND CARNIVORES TOO. THE CYANIDE PLUME THAT TRAVELED THROUGH THE RIVERS WAS 100 TIMES MORE CONCENTRATED THAT THE LIMIT VALUE FOR DRINKING WATER
HUNDREDS OF FISHES THAT DIED DUE TO THE SPILL
AFFECT UPON ENVIRONMENT THE INITIAL EFFECTS OF THE HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF CYANIDE ON THE ECOSYSTEM WERE DEVASTATING, HOWEVER DUE TO THE SHORT LIVED PRESENCE OF CYANIDE IN THE WATER IT WAS ABLE TO BEGIN ITS RECOVERY. THE CYANIDE PLUME ALSO BROUGHT ALONG MANY HEAVY METALS LIKE ZINC, COPPER, IRON AND LEAD WITH IT. THESE HEAVY METALS ARE NOT EASILY DEGRADABLE. SO THEIR AFFECT ON THE POLLUTION CANT BE MEASURED SO EASILY. THESE HEAVY METALS MIX WITH SEDIMENTS AT THE WATER BED AND ARE BIOACCUMULATED FROM ANIMAL AND PLANT LIFE. THUS ENTERING THE ECOSYSTEMS FOOD CHAIN
WHAT MEASURES WERE TAKEN TO MINIMIZE THE DAMAGE SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE WAS POURED INTO THE SPILL TO NEUTRALIZE THE CYANIDE AS IT TURNS IT INTO A LESS TOXIC COOMPOUND. THE REMAINING WATER IN THE CONTAINMENT DAM WAS DIVERTED TO A NEARBY TAILING DAM. SEDIMENTS FROM OTHER TAILING DAMS WERE USED TO SEAL THE BREACH AND REINFORCE OTHER PARTS OF THE DAM. A LIMITED OUTFLOW OF 40-50 LITRES PER SECOND WAS CONTINUED AND TREATED WITH SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE TILL 2 FEBRUARY. THE CYANIDE WAS BIOLOGICALLY DEGRADED AND DILUTED ALONG THE RIVER WITH TIME.
TEAMS HELPING WITH TESTING AND SAMPLING AT THE TISZA RIVER
WATER SAMPLES FROM SURFACE WATER WERE TAKEN BY THREE TEAMS FROM 21 SAMPLING STATIONS. THE UN SAMPLING TOOK PLACE ABOUT THREE WEEKS AFTER THE PLUME HAD PASSED HOW DID THE US MISSION AID THE RECOVERY?
WHAT MEASURES WERE TAKEN WHEN THE PLUME HIT? THE U.N.E.P BALKANS TASK FORCE TOOK SAMPLES FROM THE RIVER DANUBE OM FRY ON 15-17 FEB. REPORTEDLY, CYANIDE CONCENTRATIONS WERE 0.008 mg/L TO 0.118 mg/L THE UN TEAM SAMPLED SURFACE WATER AT TISZA RIVER AND FOUND THE FREE CYANIDE CONCENTRATION TO BE0.014 mg/L WHICH IS WITHIN AN ACCEPTABLE RANGE. THE UN TEAM RECORDED THE PLUME OF CYANIDE CONTAMINATION IN THE DANUBE DELTA WHICH GAVE A MAXIMUM CONCENTRATION OF 0.058 mg/L.
WERE THERE ANY CHANGES BY THE END OF THE INCIDENT? U.N.E.P PREPARED NEW GUIDELINES FOR MINING. U.N.E.P JOINED HANDS WITH I.C.O.L.D TO PRODUCE TWO TECHNICAL BULLETINS FOR LAYING DOWN DESIGN REQUIREMENTS AND PROVIDING LESSONS FROM PAST INCIDENTS AS A GUIDE TO DESIGNERS. BY INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF METALS AND THE ENVIRONMENTS, A MULTI- STAKEHOLDER PROCESS WAS LAUNCHED TO DEVELOP A MANAGEMENT CODE FOR CYANIDE
THE TISZA RIVER SOME YEARS AFTER THE INCIDENT
