After watching a cyanide spill from a gold mine turn into a disaster for the Tisza River in Hungary and the Danube in Yugoslavia, state environmental groups have called for guarantees that cyanide won't be used at the controversial Crandon Mine in Wisconsin's Forest County. While mining officials and the state Department of Natural Resources are downplaying the fact that the mine will use cyanide, a coalition of environmental groups say its use should be banned altogether.
Mining companies use cyanide to extract gold and silver from metallic ore.
The front office of the Crandon Mine refers to the site as a zinc-copper mine, but a 1986 Final Environmental Impact Statement estimated that the mine would also produce 60,000 troy ounces of gold and 3,600,000 troy ounces of silver each year. The Crandon Mine would use five tons to 18 tons of sodium cyanide per month, according to its 1995 permit application. Tiny amounts of cyanide are fatal to human beings and animals. And the spill on the Tisza has virtually destroyed all living things in the river. The gold mine was owned by the Australian firm Esmeralda Exploration.