Cyanide is the chemical-of-choice for mining companies to extract gold from crushed ore, despite the fact that leaks or spills of this chemical are extremely toxic to fish, plant life and human beings. Cyanide is a deadly chemical, used in the gas chambers of the Second World War and on Death Row in the United States between 1930-1980, and has caused havoc in water systems across the world, in over 30 spills in the last five years.

At Lake Cowal very low grade ore, with minimal residues of gold, is processed with cyanide using a carbon-in-leach system.

No mine has ever avoided leaking cyanide-laced water and waste into the ecosystem. Barrick's gold mine at Lake Cowal will be no exception.

The only barrier between the lake and the open pit of the mine is an earthen wall or "bund." The mine tailings are stored in unlined dams 3.5 km from the lake and within the floodplain. Two tailings ponds containing highly toxic chemicals can become a tempting habitat for migratory birds.

Barrick uses 6,613 tons [6,000 tonnes] per year of cyanide and other hazardous chemicals to leach gold from Lake Cowal ore. Up to 6090 tonnes of cyanide are being transported from the Orica plant in Gladstone, Queensland, 1600km away, to Lake Cowal every year. The cyanide is being freighted by train over 20 rivers, through 10 national parks and through 200 towns and trucked through densely populated areas of Sydney from Chullora to Parramatta and the World Heritage listed Blue Mountains.

How long before there is a cyanide spill at Lake Cowal? How long will it be before there is a spill along the transport route?

In 2000, the New South Wales Greens, with the support of the Rainforest Information Centre, drafted a bill to ban the use of cyanide in their state, but the bill was defeated.

There have been a number of cyanide spills in Australia.

A regional example was a 1992 train crash at a Condobolin level crossing that killed two. Forty tonnes of cyanide pellets were strewn across the ground and took 10 days to clean up. Luckily it did not rain.

"We could see a major bird kill and major fish kill and it could get into the Murray-Darling River system. The system at Lake Cowal goes into the Lachlan River, to the Murrumbidgee then down into the Murray-Darling. Theoretically you could see a spill like in the Tisza River in Hungary, which travelled 75 km down stream, and there are a number of cases in the US that are like that too where 17 miles of river was wiped out."
Ruth Rosenhek
Director
Rainforest Information Centre

Cyanide Watch is a direct action campaign based in NSW that bears witness to the cyanide crimes of the
gold mining industry.

Apart from being a very visual presence on the roads and in the towns of NSW and Qld, Peacebus.com who organises and supports Cyanide Watch has had actions at the Barrick Gold mine at Lake Cowal, West Wyalong, Forbes, Parkes, Dubbo, Katoomba, Casino, Gladstone, Kyogle, Lismore, Nimbin, Grafton, Coffs Harbor, Bellingen and Newcastle.

People can join the Cyanide Watch e-list by going to: http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/cyanide_watch
then click SUBSCRIBE

DID YOU KNOW?
Sodium cyanide is lethal - just a 10 ml teaspoon of a 2% solution will kill a human.



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