The role of cyanide in mining is to separate gold from ore. It is used in diluted forms and cause erosion of ore. In large portions cyanide can be very toxic but with proper management and disposal, it will minimize the damage.
Cyanide is a triple bonded carbon and nitrogen. It occurs naturally or can be man-made in various forms. It is in everyday things in small amounts such as table salt, pits of fruit like; plums and apricots but this natural chemical is also used in the mining industry. It has been used for more than 120 years and has used less than 20% of the global production. Cyanide is one of the safer choices seeing as the other opinion is to use liquid mercury. 90% of Canada's gold is extracted from the use of cyanide.
Even though in large doses cyanide is toxic, it is said to be strictly regulated for worldwide protection of people, animals, and aquatic environment. This still does not change the fact that cyanide is fatal. It drops the amount of oxygen getting into the body which causes the feeling of being suffocated. 15 years ago there was a spill of cyanide in water, in Romania. The water was contaminated due to a faulty dam. It cause damage to the aquatic life such as fish and their environment but no humans were killed. The best part of cyanide is that the initial damage can be brutal but within 4-5 days after the water has past, life will start to re-grown.
To me cyanide doesn't seem like the best option but doesn't seem like the worst either, any thought on what mining industries can do differently either with chemicals or methods?
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