The Ahafo mine is one of the largest

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

mines in the

Republic of Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

and in the world. The mine is located in the center of the country in

Brong-Ahafo Region The Brong-Ahafo region was a region in central Ghana. Brong-Ahafo was bordered to the north by the Black Volta river and to the east by the Lake Volta, and to the south by the Ashanti, Eastern and Western regions. The capital of Brong-Ahafo ...

. The mine has estimated reserves of 17 million ounces of

. The company has been accused of "human rights abuses and irresponsible practices" by Earthworks, an environmental organization, and others.

Pollution and social impact

In October 2008, an instrument malfunction caused a spill of

sodium cyanide Sodium cyanide is a compound with the formula Na C N and the structure . It is a white, water-soluble solid. Cyanide has a high affinity for metals, which leads to the high toxicity of this salt. Its main application, in gold mining, also expl ...

, and the Ghanaian EPA determined that the company had violated its permits. The company was fined $4.9 million and the government agency determined that Newmont failed to appropriately report or investigate the spill. The cyanide spill caused a large fish kill. Newmont initially denied responsibility for the fish kill, stating that the deaths were due to over-population of the fish and depleted oxygen in the water. An independent investigation found high levels of cyanide in the fish, and that cyanide levels in the water were 1,400% higher than the

World Health Organisation The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has 6 regional offices and 15 ...

standard. The water also contained levels of cadmium and arsenic that far exceeded WHO safety standards. Earthworks reports that the mine displaced about 9,500 people who were mostly

subsistence farmers Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow crops on smallholdings to meet the needs of themselves and their families. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements. Planting decisions occu ...

References

External links

* Gold mines in Ghana Brong-Ahafo Region {{Ghana-geo-stub