Spotlight on Minerals to Metals: mining for the future

Less-than-perfect legacy
Mining may be an essential human
activity, but it also has a poor track
record of social exploitation.
“Historically mining was more of a
craft. But, during the 1800s in Europe,
an industrial model of mining was
created and exported to colonies
around the world.
“One of the consequences of
this model was that in many places,
the people who lived and worked in
mining areas did not share in any of
the wealth produced by the mines,”
says Petersen.
Mining’s history is also marred
by widespread environmental
degradation.
“There is no getting away from the
fact that mining is an invasive practice
that uses resources, power and vast
tracts of land,” says Broadhurst.
“Historical mining practices have left
a legacy of land degradation and
pollution from emissions, such as mine
dust and acid mine drainage, that
directly impacts the health, quality of
life and livelihoods of people.”
Sometimes the environmental
effects of mining are more indirect but
no less pervasive.
In Zambia, for example, mining has
changed human migration patterns.
During mining booms, people gather
near mines. But when there is a slump,
they seek out alternative livelihoods,
such as farming or producing
charcoal. This often has unforeseen
consequences, deforestation for
instance.
Broadhurst believes that the answer
to addressing this legacy and avoiding
these problems in the future lies in
a multidimensional approach that
combines depth and breadth.
“At Minerals to Metals, we aim
to integrate fundamental research
and new technology with the twin
imperatives of guarding against
environmental degradation and
ensuring that the benefits of mining
can be distributed equitably to the
whole of society.”
“At Minerals to Metals, we aim to
integrate fundamental research and new
technology with the twin imperatives
of guarding against environmental
degradation and ensuring that the
benefits of mining can be distributed
equitably to the whole of society.”
Dangerous mine dust
Tackling the long-term health and environmental problems caused
by mine dust is at the heart of a pioneering network at UCT that
spans several African countries and brings together researchers and
stakeholders from various disciplines and professional backgrounds.
“We plan to develop a common understanding around the risks of mine
dust and work together towards integrated and inclusive solutions,” says
UCT Associate Professor Jennifer Broadhurst, who heads up the crossdisciplinary and inter-sectoral Mine Dust and Health Network hosted by
Minerals to Metals.
Mine dust – emitted from open-pit mines, ore-processing plants, minewaste deposits and other mining sites – contains fine mineral particles that
can cause lung disease and other respiratory problems when inhaled.
“When gold miners drill into the rock, it liberates silica particles,” says
Dr Shahieda Adams, co-director of the steering group leading the network
and a senior lecturer at the School of Public Health and Family Medicine at
UCT. “Once silica gets into lungs, you can’t get rid of it.”
Gold miners who have been working on the mines for many years are
particularly at risk. Adams explains that they often end up losing their jobs,
as they are too ill to work. This places a huge burden of care on alreadystrained public health and social security systems.
One of the goals of the network is to establish the economic burden of
disease among mineworkers, their families and communities around mines –
for which little data exists.
Another key aim is to find common ground between the mining industry,
policymakers and communities. “Beneath the tension and mistrust that
can develop between stakeholders in the mining industry, there is a real
willingness among them to try and solve the problem of mine dust and to
create solutions,” says Broadhurst.
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