Irish mining-waste facilities ‘a curse on future generations’, conference hears
Geophysicist Steven Emerman warns that Irish mining facilities are using outdated, high-risk 'upstream' dam technology for toxic waste storage. Experts argue these methods are prone to catastrophic failure and do not meet modern industry safety standards.
Why it matters
Raises significant environmental and public safety concerns regarding the legacy and management of mining waste in Ireland.
Facilities in Ireland that store toxic mining waste use technology dating from the ”first World War" that does “not meet industry standards”, a conference hosted by An Taisce has heard.
Geophysicist Steven Emerman, a specialist in mine waste and hydrology, said the use of outdated mining waste-storage facilities, which had been banned in several countries, was “quite common in Ireland”.
The State of Mining in Ireland conference, held in Dublin on Sunday, was attended by communities opposed to mining or mining waste-storage facilities associated with the Aughinish Alumina refinery in Limerick, Tara lead-zinc mines in Meath and the proposed Curraghinalt Gold mine, also known as the Sperrin Mountains mine, in Tyrone.
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