Effects of strip mining on people

A spoil tip is a pile of accumulated overburden that was removed from a mine site during the extraction of coal or ore. The United Mine Workers of America have also voiced dissent on the use of human sewage sludge to reclaim surface mining sites in Appalachia. If proper precautions are not taken, unnaturally high concentrations of chemicals, such as arsenic , sulfuric acid , and mercury over a significant area of surface or subsurface water. Using some of the heaviest and biggest equipment that run on diesel, the top layer called the overburden is hauled away and is deposited into the valleys or put back onto the mountain when the operation ends. And the first step to change is to become aware! The overall restoration rate the ratio of reclaimed land area to the total degraded land area of mine wasteland was only about 10—12 percent.

Destruction or slight modification of their habitat put them at the risk of extinction. The sudden failure of Earth creates a large depression at the surface without warning, this can be seriously hazardous to life and property. Tons of wastewater from steel mining Globally, this year See more. Radiation can also leak into the ground, and nearby water sources after they have been separated into tailings, if the tailings are not stored safely. Impact of Ecosystem Destruction. Tailings are commonly stored in tailings ponds made from naturally existing valleys or large engineered dams and dyke systems.