HealthOnTrack

Posts Tagged ‘water pollution’

The build-up of acidic water in abandoned mines is not uncommon; the mines often become flooded and the metal sulfides in the rock begin to oxidise; microscopic organisms called acidophiles thrive in the low pH conditions of acid water and contribute to this oxidation. Plumbing contractors will tell you that discharges of acid water can have a devastating effect on river ecosystems, destroying plant and animal life, and contaminating drinking water with trace amounts of toxic metals. It recently came to light that the city of Johannesburg, famed for its gold mines, is faced with the threat of rapidly rising acid mine water in abandoned mines, which could begin to leak out early next year, impacting both public health and environmental health in the City of Gold.  Read more... (349 words, 1 image, estimated 1:24 mins reading time)