Chapter 2
Mining Environmental Disasters in North
and South America: The Current Practices
and the Way Forward
Odile Schwarz-Herion and Abdelnaser Omran
Abstract Mining refers to the exploration for and removal of minerals from the earth
as essential major sources of energy and materials. Mining often involves major risks
for the natural environment and residents by air and water pollution from chemicals and
heavy metals. Therefore, the environmental and social responsibility of mining operators includes protection of the air, land, water, and humans by sustainable mining
practices and disaster prevention. The risks of mining are especially high in developing
nations and takeoff countries with lax safety standards. In recent years, two dramatic
mining disasters happened in Latin America. In August 2014, a copper mine owned by
Grupo México’s subsidiary Buenavista del Cobre spilled 10.5 million gallons of copper
sulfate acid into Mexico’s public waterways. In November 2015, in Minas Gerais state,
Brazil, the Fundão backwater dam burst at an opencast mine which was run by
Samarco and another dam ruptured, sending a wave of chemically hazardous sludge
throughout the nearby regions, killing 20 persons, causing enormous social, environmental, and economic damage. Taking these disasters as case studies, this chapter will
review the failures of the mining industry in Latin America which led to these disasters
while offering some suggestions on how to avert such disasters in the future.
Keywords Mining disasters · Environmental and social responsibility · Buenavista
del Cobre · Grupo México · Fundão backwater dam · Samarco · Disaster prevention ·
Sustainable mining practices
2.1 Introduction
It seems that almost every time a valuable natural resource is discovered in the world –
whether it be diamonds, rubber, gold, oil, whatever – often what results is a tragedy for the
O. Schwarz-Herion (*)
Dres. Schwarz-Herion KG Detective Agency, Ettlingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
e-mail: EOKK.Black@t-online.de
A. Omran
Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Bright Star University, El-brega, Libya
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
A. Omran, O. Schwarz-Herion (eds.), Sustaining our Environment for Better Future,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-7158-5_2
17
Mining Environmental Disasters in North
and South America: The Current Practices
and the Way Forward
Odile Schwarz-Herion and Abdelnaser Omran
Abstract Mining refers to the exploration for and removal of minerals from the earth
as essential major sources of energy and materials. Mining often involves major risks
for the natural environment and residents by air and water pollution from chemicals and
heavy metals. Therefore, the environmental and social responsibility of mining operators includes protection of the air, land, water, and humans by sustainable mining
practices and disaster prevention. The risks of mining are especially high in developing
nations and takeoff countries with lax safety standards. In recent years, two dramatic
mining disasters happened in Latin America. In August 2014, a copper mine owned by
Grupo México’s subsidiary Buenavista del Cobre spilled 10.5 million gallons of copper
sulfate acid into Mexico’s public waterways. In November 2015, in Minas Gerais state,
Brazil, the Fundão backwater dam burst at an opencast mine which was run by
Samarco and another dam ruptured, sending a wave of chemically hazardous sludge
throughout the nearby regions, killing 20 persons, causing enormous social, environmental, and economic damage. Taking these disasters as case studies, this chapter will
review the failures of the mining industry in Latin America which led to these disasters
while offering some suggestions on how to avert such disasters in the future.
Keywords Mining disasters · Environmental and social responsibility · Buenavista
del Cobre · Grupo México · Fundão backwater dam · Samarco · Disaster prevention ·
Sustainable mining practices
2.1 Introduction
It seems that almost every time a valuable natural resource is discovered in the world –
whether it be diamonds, rubber, gold, oil, whatever – often what results is a tragedy for the
O. Schwarz-Herion (*)
Dres. Schwarz-Herion KG Detective Agency, Ettlingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
e-mail: EOKK.Black@t-online.de
A. Omran
Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Bright Star University, El-brega, Libya
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
A. Omran, O. Schwarz-Herion (eds.), Sustaining our Environment for Better Future,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-7158-5_2
17