Bitcoin miners don’t use cyanide The mining sector has been under pressure this week, with Victoria Gold Corp. (TSX:VGCX, Forum) at the forefront of concerns following last month’s catastrophic cyanide solution spill at its Eagle mine in Yukon Territory. The spill, which happened on June 24, resulted from a landslide and failure at the company’s heap leach facility, where gold is extracted using a cyanide solution. This has led to the release of more than 300 million litres of the toxic solution into nearby waterways.
Environmental samples from last month detected cyanide levels at 0.04 mg per litre, half of which is considered fatal for most fish species. However, more recent samples have shown no detectable cyanide levels beyond drinking water guidelines. Despite this, environmental experts warn of long-term repercussions, particularly for Haggart Creek, a vital habitat for the region’s dwindling fish population. The Yukon Territory government has implemented containment measures, including systems to intercept and store groundwater and the construction of two water storage facilities, each capable of holding 150,000 cubic metres of contaminated water. Experts suggest that the full environmental impact could take years to unfold.