Mining in the United States

Kate Glenn [00:00:13] Did you know that in the United States mining is the number one most dangerous job. What about in other parts of the world? How does mining affect you and I? Why should you be concerned? 

Kate Glenn [00:00:40] Today I'm going to be discussing the public and environmental issues linked to mining in Chile South America and in southern West Virginia. Two major mining years in the world. I come from a background of coal and I am also from and grew up in a small town in West Virginia West Virginia's main economic source is coal mining. 

Kate Glenn [00:01:05] Mountaintop removal in West Virginia is very prevalent and extremely harmful research shows it leads to the development of chronic diseases and birth defects. 

Kate Glenn [00:01:25] Fortunately I didn't directly grow up in the southern part of the state but I've traveled and seen mountaintop removal take place. Mountaintop removal affects so many local communities in southern West Virginia that also struggle with food insecurity and many living under the poverty line. Even though these events may be happening far away in another country or state and may not be visual to you in real life the impacts are still affecting you every day. 

Kate Glenn [00:02:02] In many cases there are renewable resources but until it becomes less expensive and more accessible. Coal mining will remain the number one energy source in the world. You and I use coal every single day. If we turn on a light switch or turn on the TV coal power is 40 percent of the world's electricity. And mining is the number one polluter producing 39 percent of carbon dioxide emissions and 42 percent of mercury emissions. Even nitrogen oxides produce for example smog are harmful to respiratory systems and can cause chronic diseases such as pneumonia. These toxins are harming public health. 

Kate Glenn [00:02:46] This isn't just happening nationally but also on a global scale. I've also visited Chile South America. My dad's side of the family is from and my grandma was born. She grew up in a small mining town called Chuquicamata when I went to the town it is just how I imagined small and only people living there are the workers the mine I visited was huge. 

Kate Glenn [00:03:11] And just by being there a short amount of time I could see how dangerous it was working there. 

Kate Glenn [00:03:17] Alberto Cerdo is a mining engineer in Chile's south America 

Alberto Cerdo [00:03:27] I've been working for the industry since I got out of the university as a civil mine engineer. I started in in former engineer position writing into production. 

Alberto Cerdo [00:03:40] Then I moved to business professions or positions. And then to executive positions. So I mean in most all of the areas meaning production, projects, business and all of them related with the mining of copper and mining of gold. 

 [00:04:01] Mining has been a part of Chile's culture since pre colonial times. 

Alberto Cerdo [00:04:05] Just like Chiquicamata, there ae]re local communities surrounding various mines in Chile also being affected. Researchers found that outside three mining towns they had depletion of water and even an increase in prostitution and venereal diseases. Not even mentioning they are breathing in the toxins that the mines are releasing every single day. \. 

 [00:04:23] in all of my career communities have been involved in in mining. In the last ten year I would say or 15 years it's been more in the in the media and also in the news about the mining and the relationship with the community. But the truth is that communities have always been a very important part of the mining industry and in the way that the mining related to them is by first of all offering very good quality positions offering them also developing the little towns or the cities where mining are close to it. 

Kate Glenn [00:05:16] Other environmental downsides include deforestation and erosion. Erosion causes soil and sediments to run into streams rivers and contaminate waterways. Because these waterways become contaminated. This is a threat to everyone drinking from well water or even your own tap water. 

Alberto Cerdo [00:05:35] And also mining there has to be very respectful of the communities but also very respectful of nature and in an ecosystem and biodiversity because that is very important for the communities and should be important for all of the people that works in the mining industry my experience all of the all of the relationship has has been positive. The same example of stamina. It's been really positive. And the company has been able to interact with all the community interaction with community. It doesn't mean everything is is sweet and nice human relations has ups and downs. The important is that in the mid and long term the relationship continue it continues and is and is perceived as a positive relation always. 

Kate Glenn [00:06:36] Not only did environment and communities suffer the workers are hit directly. 

Kate Glenn [00:06:41] Health impacts from mining is seriously no joke. The workers go through harmful work conditions every day. Let's not forget about the incident in 2010 where 33 miners got trapped in an escape shaft in Chile. Miners also experience polluted gases even though they wear some type of protection. It does not entirely prevent harmful gases from entering their lungs. 

Alberto Cerdo [00:07:05] In my personal experience environment and communities right now are a very important area of decision making process is not only production and cost now is is safety of the people that works in the mine safety of the people of the communities due to the mining industry. Also have a really good quality of human relations human human resource relation of people relations. 

Alberto Cerdo [00:07:38] And of course social and environmental variables that any top manager should be accountable for my name needs to be more regulated and in the future we need to find a more environmentally friendly option to fuel our electricity. Mining will not go away. 

Alberto Cerdo [00:08:03] Well mining will continue to be part of the human civilization and the human model and the way to live. We love medals. 

Alberto Cerdo [00:08:15] Not only Iron. We love copper. We love lithium. We will require more lithium more copper more cobalt in the future in order to maintain the planet away from CO2.  

Alberto Cerdo [00:08:33] So mining will continue being an activity that humans will need. 

Alberto Cerdo [00:08:39] It's not something sometimes uh that that seems to be very friendly with environment. And it's also very demanding of people. 

Alberto Cerdo [00:08:48] But is there is a need for the human race if we continue. And in light to have these more than type of life that we have every equipment every unit everything that we do today in the modern world is thanks to metals that human can actually use. 

Kate Glenn [00:09:21] This podcast was produced and scripted by Kate Glenn as part of the spring 2019 Global Health course at Guilford College.