Proposition: Mining in the Philippines To Be Banned

Firstly we must look at mining as a whole in which other major mining companies have followed a global standard of practices in protecting the environment. Governments play a key role in setting these environmental standards for organisations to meet them. There are a series of guidelines “that are targeted at managers to provide the practical techniques and guidance they need to manage the environmental risks and impacts of their own operations” ₃

Miners were paid more than factory workers, but that was because conditions in the mines were even crueler. Mines were dark, dirty and polluted with coal dust. Explosions, flooding and collapsing tunnels were just some of the dangerous incidents the workers had to be aware of. Women usually did not even wear any clothes while working in the mines. Most women only had one set of clothes and could not afford for them to get caught in a machine, destroyed or dirty. Further, mines were extremely hot, so wearing clothes made it even hotter, especially with the amount of sweat and body heat in the mine. Both women and children went up and down ladders multiple times a day with heavy loads of coal. For children, work in the mines was very tough; as they had to haul coal back and forth in carts in the

It is understood that manual workers endure more work related injuries than non-manual workers. Recent studies to support this claim come from Clapp et al (2005) who indicate that a probable 12 of cancer deaths are workplace related, also, Meldrumm (2005) found that working conditions cause up to 20 of lung cancer deaths (Holborn, Burrage and Langley, 2009).

The families that live near the mine also face being diagnosed with dangerous side effects. Since the ground becomes polluted with the chemicals, most homes in the surrounding area don’t have running water because the aquifers are polluted by said chemicals that originate from the mine. And the air becomes toxic also, toxic levels of arsenic, fluorine, mercury, and selenium is emitted by coal fires, entering the air and the food chain of those living nearby. These pollutants affect the water also, making it dangerous to any living life form. It causes deformities and creates birth defects if ingested into the body (Breitenender 2). And to an extent, causes death if the water is drunk regularly. It can go unnoticed also if people don’t check their water. And if a person is unfortunate enough to live near these areas, then he likely has no running water due to the pollution of his local aquifer. People are deprived of a vital source to live and they travel far to get water. And these areas are arid which means water is a necessary

Miners systematically removed the resource and ship it to the surface. Subsurface mining is generally done for metals such as zinc, lead, nickel, tin, gold, copper and uranium. Subsurface mining is extremely dangerous due to natural gas explosions, which can cause shafts and tunnels to collapse.

Factory, mill, and mining work in Britain may be very hazardous to one’s health, especially with regards to the health of children, according to reports by workers and medical experts. Harsh working conditions results in the poor health of workers as well as injuries.

Open pit mining creates a hole where groundwater will collect instead of flowing naturally into the watersheds. What water will flow into those watersheds will be contaminated by mercury--from the processing of the ore into taconite pellets and sulfuric acid, causing incredible damage to the ecosystem of the rivers and Lake

The city of Potosi, which is now modern day Bolivia, was once a vast mining town located in the Andean highlands in the mid 1500’s. This town was the world’s leading producer of silver; the mountain contained enormous amounts of silver that then created many opportunities for many different people all around the world. The population of Potosi at this time was around 160,000 large enough that it was comparing to that of cities like London and Amsterdam. This great mountain supplied many people with all sorts of different jobs. This was a very dangerous and fatal job for the people and many ended up dead or injured from working in the mines. “Once inside, they spend the whole week in there without emerging, working with tallow candle. They are in great danger inside there, for one very small stone that falls injures or kills anyone is strikes. If 20 healthy Indians enter on Monday, half may emerge crippled on Saturday” (Strayer614). Mining in this mountain was very risky and you never knew if you would survive the day or make it out of mine safely.

Given the way of the occupation and the chemicals used to make the fluids to be infused to the ground, mischances are probably going to happen and blast that prompts wounds or passing of laborers and the general population around the territories. Use of overwhelming gears imperils the lives of the specialists in the mines.

Dust from the mines contributes to miners contracting a “variety of lung disease, but the most dangerous is silicosis.” Poor ventilation and the owner of the mines failure to properly maintain a safe environment for the employees caused the death of numerous employees. When the union tried to get the mine owner to abide by “the safety protections in the union contract,” the owner tried to replace the union and eventually “disconnected the ventilators” in retaliation to the union’s demand for safer conditions for the employees. The miners received no help from the Mexican and U.S. governments. Mexico and U.S. agencies inspected and cited the mines for “appalling working conditions in the open-pit mine, yet no corrections or improvements made by the owner to the mines. The condition and privatization of the mine and the continued strikes by the union caused many of the workers to migrate to the U.S. in hopes of better

Lung disease and accidents have always led to high rates of death or disability amongst miners. The lung diseases that affect miners are called pneumoconiosis or black lung. Coal worker’s pneumoconiosis can be defined as the accumulation of coal dust in the lungs and the tissue’s. “Inhaled coal dust enters the terminal bronchioles, and the carbon pigment is engulfed by alveolar and interstitial macrophages. Phagocytes coal particles are transported by macrophages up the mucociliary elevator and are expelled in the mucus or through the lymphatic system” (Pneumoconiosis in China).

Health, safety and environmental risks are major concern in the oil and gas industry. The workers engaged in the direct work process are prone to accidental risks such as cuts, bruises, chemical burns, fractures, etc. Respiratory ailments are also caused due to the large amount of gases mainly hydrocarbons. While working on the rigs there is a risk of becoming deaf due to the loud noise and vibrations of the machinery present on the rig. There are also safety concerns like the height at which the rigs operate above sea level. There are always cranes carrying heavy containers which might fall from a height causing serious injury to personnel. There is a high risk of slips, trips and falls as the workers work at a height and the surface they work on is uneven. The workers in the oil and gas industry have to work in a confined space such as

In our days, mining for resources is inevitable. The resources we need are valuable in everyday life. Such resources mined up are coal, copper, gold, silver, and sand. However, mining poses environmental risks that can degrade the quality of soil and water, which can end up effecting us humans if not taken care of and many of the damages are irreversible once they have occurred.

South Africa is world leading in mining. The discovery of minerals in this country has attractive many investors and has been the backbone of the country’s economy – leading to many benefits that the people of South Africa could take advantage of. However, not all the benefits are shared equally, and there is a lot of exploitation surrounding the mining sector. This essay will be discussing the issues surrounding the labour exploitation in the mines and the resulting consequences.

The mining industry has seen an explosive growth from the past few decades. It has played an important role in economic growth, infrastructure development and a raise in the living standard of the whole world. According to the Australian National Accounting System, the mining sector has made contributions of 9.8% GDP growth to the Australian economy between 2008 to 2009 (Australia Bureau of Statistics, 2012). However, the mining industry has caused many environmental issues such as adverse effect to air, land and water quality and continues to affect global environment as a whole. According to the World Health Organization, it evaluated that 25% of worldwide death are directly associated with environmental pollution (Blacksmith Institute, n.d). This essay will outline the environmental issue raised by the mining industry with pinpoint focus on the effects to air, water and land. It will also provide strategies for mining companies to improve the environmental conditions.