Russian authorities to investigate all industrial installations on areas of permafrost following diesel spill in Krasnoyarsk Krai.

Authorities in Russia are launching a widespread investigation into industrial sites located on areas of permafrost following a 20 000 tonne diesel spill at a site in the city of Norilsk in Krasnoyarsk Krai on Friday 29 May 2020. The spill is thought to have been caused by the collapse of a fuel tank located on permafrost at a site owned by Norilsk Nickel, the world's largest producer of nickel and palladium, which was not reported to authorities for two days after it was detected, leading to a spill that covered an area of about 350 km² and spread 12 km down the Ambarnaya River. 

Series of satellite images take between 23 May and 1 June 2020, showing the spread of diesel down the Ambarnaya River following a spill at an industrial plant in Norilsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai. Copernicus Sentinel/ESA.

Around 55% of Russia's territory is located on permafrost (land that remains permanently frozen), and this land includes many industrial sites, including mines and oil and gas wells. The Arctic Council has been warning for some years that such sites were at risk due to rapid warming, both globally, and locally due to heat generated at such sites, and while newer industrial sites in Russia are typically built with this in mind, it is unclear to what extent older sites have been modified to take possible thawing of permafrost.

Spilled diesel on the Ambarnaya River in Krasnoyarsk Krai, following the collapse of a fuel storage tank at Norilsk on 29 May 2020. AFP.

The Russian Investigative Committee has launched a criminal enquiry into the Norilsk spill, and the director of the plant at which it occurred, Vyacheslav Starostin, has been arrested and faces charges of negligence and pollution. Specialists in pollution from the Russian Emergencies Ministry have been flown to the scene of the incident, though it is likely that the clean-up process could take several years in what it thought to be the worst oil spill in the Arctic Circle since the Exxon Valdes incident in Alaska in 1989.

Oil spills are potentially harmful to aquatic life in a variety of ways. Most obviously it can coat the outside of organisms, causing damage to external structures such as the feathers of Birds and fur of Mammals, as well as smothering many aquatic invertebrates and plants. It also contains a variety of chemicals which can be directly toxic upset the hormonal balance of many animals. Oil also impedes the feeding of aquatic organisms, coating both food and feeding organs, but provides an excellent food source for Bacteria, which can lead to Eutrophication events - dramatic increases in Bacteria numbers, which then use all the oxygen in the water, leading other organisms to asphyxiate.

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Three dead at Nickel Mine in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.

Three miners have been found dead at the Nornickel-operated Taimyr Nickel mine in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Siberia. The men were discovered 1345 m bellow the ground in the 1532 m deep mine on the Taimyr Peninsula, within the Arctic Peninsula, at about 4.30 pm local time on Tuesday 22 October 2019, having apparently asphyxiated. One of the dead men had apparently set out to look for the others after they had initially gone missing. All three were carrying unused breathing equipment, suggesting that they were caught unaware by the gas that killed them. There was no sign of any collapse within the mine.

The Taimyr Nickel mine in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Siberia. Russia Travel Blog.

The cause of the incident has yet to be determined. Pockets of gas, which can be exposed by blasting or other excavation activity are a problem in all underground mines. Typically when a seam containing pressurised gas is cut into it bursts, releasing the pressure and throwing large blocks of coal into the faces of the miners, often with fatal results. Thus although the gas involved is flammable it does not actually need to ignite to cause fatalities. However gas can seep into mines less dramatically, with potentially fatal consequences if it is not noticed. Mine gas is more usually associated with coal pits, where it is produced by compression of the coal, driving of volatile organic compounds, but can affect other forms of mine.

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Siberian river turned red pollution following failure of mine tailings pond.

A river in Siberia has turned red after a mine tailings pond failed this week. The Daldykan River in the north of the Krasnoyarsk Krai (Republic) in Siberia was effected by runoff from the Nornickel operated Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant, which is a deep red colour due to a high iron salt content.

The River Daldykan in northern Krasnoyarsk, turned red by iron salts from a nickel plant tailings pond. Siberian Times.

The Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant is a Soviet era installation, which were largely constructed without consideration of environmental issues in a drive to industrialise rapidly. The plant was fined an undisclosed amount by environmental watchdog Rosprirodnadzor in 2016 following a similar incident, and has reportedly undergone some environmental remediation work since. However, while the size of the fine has not been revealed, the maximum fine that could have been imposed would have been 40 000 roubles (US$650), a fine of limited consequence to a company such as Nornickel, which has estimated about US$16 500 000 000, and it is unclear to what extent the environmental watchdog could genuinely sanction the company, which is 28% owned by Russian president Vladamir Putin.

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Two workers killed by cave-in at Ontario mine.

Two drill operators have died following a cave-in at the First Nickel operated Lockerby Nickel Mine in Sudbury, Ontario, on Tuesday 6 May 2014. Marc Methe (34) and Norm Bissaillon (49) were employed by contractors Taurus Drilling Services at the mine, and had four and twenty years experience respectively. First Nickel have issued a statement offering their condolences for the deaths and linking the incident to seismic activity in the area immediately before the cave in. All non-essential opperations at the mine have been ceased pending an investigation by the Ministry of Labour. The incident brings the number of mine-related deaths in Sudbury to six since 2011; a review into mine safety in Ontario is currently being carried out by the province's Chief Prevention Officer. 

The Lockerby Mine at Sudbury, Ontario. Northern Life.

The Lockerby Nickel Mine accesses the Sudbury basin, a 1.849 billion year old impact crater, thought to have been caused by a 10-15 km metal-rich asteroid impacting the Earth. Debris linked to the impact has been found as far away as Minnesota (it is thought that the impact would have caused debris to rain down across the globe, but determining the origin of more distant and diffuse debris becomes more difficult). The original impact crater is believed to have been about 250 km in diameter, though it is now roughly 62 x 30 km, having been deformed into an oval shape by subsequent geological processes. It is the second largest known impact crater on Earth, after the 70 km Vredefort Crater in Free State, South Africa, which is thought to have been 300 km across at the time of its formation 2.023  billion years ago, and larger than the 180 km Cicxulub Crater, which has been linked to the end-Cretaceous extinction.

Geological map of the Sudbury Basin. Wikipedia/Natural Resources Canada.

The crater is still worked for nickel, copper, platinum, palladium, gold, and other metals. The Lockerby Mine produced copper and nickel ore from 1974 until 2008, when operations beyond maintenance were stopped due to low metal prices. Work at the mine recommenced in July 2012, and is predicted to be capable of producing 4 500 000 kg of nickeland 3 000 000 kg of copper annually.

The approximate location of the Lockerby Nickel Mine. Google Maps.

See also...

 Worker killed at British Columbia mine.

 Athabasca River polluted by mine runoff.

 The effects of oil sands mining on wetlands in northern Alberta.

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Seven killed in two separate incidents at Albanian mines.

Seven people were killed in two separate incidents at mines in Albania on Thursday 7 November 2013. Five men, described as three brothers and two cousins died when they were overcome by fumes from a portable generator they had brought with them while looking for scrap metal at an abandoned coal mine in the Korçë region of eastern Albania. In a second incident later the same day two men were killed by a rockfall at a nickel mine at Berzhezhte in the eastern district of Librazhd.

The approximate locations  of the two 7 November 2013 Albanian mine incidents. Google Maps.

The state owned Albminiera company is responsible for managing security at the Korçë site. In theory 15 people should have been employed to guard the former mine, but since the incident it has emerged that only 33 people are employed to protect 33 former mining sites managed by the company across the country. The company has cited financial difficulties for this despite only having spent 5 of 120 million Albanian Leks allocated to the project (US$ 47 790 of US$1 145 000). The company claims that the expenses of decommissioning a further 224 mines managed by the company are making it hard to pay wages, and that requests for additional funding from the Albanian Government have been ignored.

See also Gas kills six workers at Spanish coal mine, Turkish miner killed by underground fire, Three workers killed by gas at German potash mine, Swedish miners rescued from underground fire and Worker killed at Irish lead and zinc mine.

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The ten most polluted places on Earth.

Each year since 2006 two environmental groups, the US based Blacksmith Institute and Green Cross Switzerland have produced an annual report into some of the world's most polluted places. This year's report, titled The World's Worst 2013: The Top Ten Toxic Threats, highlights ten sites across the world, deemed to be the worst polluted sites in their own right or noteworthy examples of types of polluted sites occurring at multiple locations. 

Sites included in the 2013 report. Blacksmith Institute & Green Cross Switzerland (2013).

The Agbogbloshie Dumpsite in Accra, Ghana is the second largest electronic waste recycling area in West Africa, handling much of the 215 000 tons of electronic waste Ghana imports each year as well as  the 129 000 tons produced domestically. Used electronic items are either reconditioned and resold or broken down for their metal content. A wide range of electronic items a handled, requiring a wide range of skills and techniques, and leading to the generation of a range of waste. Of particular concern is the recycling of copper from wiring, which is typically achieved by burning off the plastic sheathing, often using styrofoam packaging as a fuel. This produces toxic fumes from both the burning of the styrofoam and plastic, and from metal particles in the smoke. The site suffers from very high levels of soil contamination, with high levels of lead and other metals, affecting somewhere between 40 000 and 250 000 people living on and around the site. The Blacksmith Institute and Green Advocacy Ghana are working to introduce mechanized wire striping processes to the site.

Children on the Agbogbloshie Dumpsite. Blacksmith Institute & Green Cross Switzerland (2013).

Chernobyl in the Ukraine is recognized as the site of one of the worst nuclear disasters in history. In April 1986 the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station suffered a massive meltdown, releasing more than 100 times as much radiation as the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs. A 30 km exclusion zone still exists around the site of the former power plant, and the reactor was encased in a concrete casing. However this casing was only intended as a temporary measure, and is known to be leaking in a number of places. The ground surrounding the site is also known to be contaminated with radionuclides such as cesium-137, which could potentially migrate to food crops grown in adjacent areas. Work has recently begun by the French company Novarka to build a steal containment structure around the original concrete casing, which should provide increased protection for the next 100 years. 

Memorial at the site of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station. Blacksmith Institute & Green Cross Switzerland (2013).

The Citarum River Basin in West Java covers around 13 000 km² and provides around 80% of the water needs of Jakarta. The area is home to around 9 million people, and produces around 5% of Indonesia's rice. It is also home to around 2000 factories. The waters of the basin are known to be heavily contaminated with aluminum, manganese, iron and other metals. The Indonesian Government  is working on a major rehabilitation and restoration project for the basin, financed by US$500 billion in loans from the Asian Development Bank.

Pollution on the Citarum River near Jakarta. Coastal Care.

The city of Dzerzhinsk, about 400 km east of Moscow, is a major center in the Russian chemical industry, and during the Cold War was also a center of manufacturing for chemical weapons.It is thought that between 1930 and 1998 around 300 000 tons of chemical waste were landfilled in and around Dzerhinsk, resulting in a wide variety of toxic chemicals being released into groundwater. The city has a population of about 245 000 people, with life expectancies of 42 for men and 47 for women. Since 2007 the Dzerzhinsk has been listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's most polluted city. As yet little has been done to rectify this situation, although the Russian government has announced plans to close outdated facilities and clean up contaminated land left from the Soviet era.

The location of Dzerzhinsk. Google Maps.

Hazaribagh in Bangladesh is home to 90% of the countries tanneries (leather processing plants), together employing between 9000 and 12 000 people out of a population of around 185 000 (though this is probably an underestimate, due to a number of informal settlements in the area). They also produce around 22 000 liters of toxic waste per day, including significant quantities of hexavalent chromium, which can lead to a variety of skin and respiratory diseases as well as being highly carcinogenic. Residents are also frequently prone to acid burns from tannery runoff, as well as the effects of a variety of fumes.

Residents of Hazaribagh live along side high levels of pollution including hexavalent chromium. Blacksmith Institute & Green Cross Switzerland (2013).

Kabwe is the second largest city in Zambia and was a center of (largely unregulated) lead mining and smelting from 1902 till the mid-1990s. There is still significant artisanal lead mining (informal, unregulated mining seldom featuring any form of heath and safety procedures), much of it on the spoil heaps of the former mine sites. The whole city suffers from high levels of lead pollution, principally in the from of lead dust, which is found in soils across the entire area. Testing has shown significant levels of lead in the blood of the population, particularly in that of children, who are more at risk from lead dust in soils as they play close to the ground. The Zambian Government has undertook a US$26 million remediation project in the area from 2003-2011, funded by the World Bank and Nordic Development Fund, but significant pollution problems remain.

Artisanal lead mining on a tailings dump at Kabwe in Zambia. Blacksmith Institute & Green Cross Switzerland (2013).

Kalimantan is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo and a significant center of artisanal gold mining. In the provinces of Central and South Kalimantan around 43 000 people are employed in the industry. The vast majority of these extract gold from ore using the mercury amalgam technique, which involves mixing ground up ore with mercury to extract the gold, then heating the resultant product ro burn off the mercury. It is estimated that Kalimantan produces around 1000 tons of mercury pollution per year, around a third of the global total. Mercury is extremely toxic and once vaporized can travel long distances as an areal pollutant. It is also particularly lethal in aquatic ecosystems, particularly as it accumulates in the bodies of fish which are then often consumed by humans, and has been found at high levels in the Kahayan River in Central Kalimantan. Indonesia signed the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which obliges it to limit mercury emissions, in October this year, and the Indonesian Government is working with the Blacksmith Institute, Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta and other NGOs to mitigate mercury release and exposure in the region.

An unregulated gold mine in Kalimantan. Philip Hatch-Barnwell. 

The Matanza-Riachuelo River Basin in Argentina hosts about 15 000 industrial sites, including many chemical plants, over a 60 km stretch of river, which cuts through part of the city of Buenos Aires. The level and type of pollution in the river fluctuates, but soils from the river bank have been shown to contain dangerously high levels of zinc, lead, copper, nickel, and chromium. Tests on well water from the river basin suggest that it should not be considered fit for human consumption and around 12 000 people are thought to be living in areas unsuitable for human habitation. There is little infrastructure in the area, and few options besides the drinking of well water. A US$ 1 billion project funded by the world bank aims to tackle sanitation and industrial pollutant abatement in the basin.

Residences by the Riachuelo River. The Argentina Independent.

The Niger Delta covers about 70 000 km² (roughly 8% of Nigeria's total landmass), and produces around 2 million barrels of crude oil per day, an industry that has existed in the area since the 1950s. An average of 240 000 barrels of oil are lost into the environment each year, creating massive levels of groundwater and soil pollution. This pollution is in itself highly toxic and leads to a variety of chronic health problems, but in the Niger Delta it is at such high levels that in many places agriculture and aquaculture (fish farming) have become impossible or severely curtailed, creating a food security crisis. Little of the wealth generated by the oil extraction process has reached the people of the Delta and there  are no realistic plans to remediate the ongoing crisis.

Oil pouring from a pipeline at Dadabili on the Niger Delta in April 2011. Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters.

The city of Norilsk in Russia was founded in 1935 as a Soviet slave labour camp, and has since grown into the second largest city in the Arctic Circle. The city is a major producer of heavy metals, using Soviet-era smelting technologies with almost no environmental protection. Around 130 000 residents are exposed to high levels of sulphur dioxide, copper and nickel pollution. The company responsible for the industrial sites, Norilsk Nickel, controls around 33% of the world's nickel supplies and is one of Russia's largest exporters of non-ferrous metals. Limited investments in reducing emissions have been made, but no attempts at remediating past pollution.

The Norilsk Nickel plant in Norilsk, in the Russian Arctic. George Washington University.

See also Two killed in escalating violence over mining in Davao del Sur Province, Mindanao, the Philippines, Protests over environmental problems at Indian-owned Mozambique coal mine, Human Rights Watch reports on child labour in the Tanzanian gold mining industry, Thirty seven dead after collapse at gold mine in the Central African Republic and Amnesty International reports on the mining industry in Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of Congo.

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