What is Copper?
Copper is a common metal and chemical element, used in a variety of ways from electronics to construction. We’ve been mining for copper in the United States since the 1840s. At the time, copper was used in building materials and in the telegraph. It used to be the primary material of pennies, and now plays an important role as a component in our modern day electronics, plumbing, and electric vehicles due to its high conductivity. This makes it an important material for the transition to clean, renewable energy.
Within the United States, the majority of copper deposits are located in the western half of the country. However, there is copper ore found in various other places around the country such as the northern boundary waters of Minnesota and the Appalachian region.
How is Copper Extracted?
The two most common types of copper ore are copper oxide and copper sulfide. Because they have different chemical compositions they require different types of processing. However both of them are extracted using open pit mining which as its name suggests, involves digging a large, deep pit. This may require explosives as well. Copper sulfide is the more pure and more profitable type and the rest of this article will focus more specifically on sulfide mining.
Toxic Chemical Pollution
Toxic chemicals associated with copper mining have a significant impact on the environment and local communities.
Copper sulfide mining releases a variety of chemicals into the surrounding ecosystem, including mercury, lead, and sulfates. When mining equipment is abandoned in mines, harmful PCBs can leach into water as well.
Mercury
Mercury can harm aquatic organisms like fish as well as accumulate in food chains through a process known as biomagnification, which means that as it spreads up through the food chain, concentrations of the pollutant will increase as well, ultimately harming large organisms. For example, if a small fish ingests a chemical such as mercury, and a larger fish ingests the small fish, followed by a bird eating the large fish, the bird will ultimately have a very high concentration of the pollutant and this can lead to serious effects. A disruption in the food chain can hurt the entire ecosystem, reducing biodiversity.
Not only can mercury cause harm by being ingested by organisms, it can also be released into the air as a toxic vapor. These heavy metals released during the process of copper mining have been proven to cause health issues including cancer, heart and lung disease, neurodevelopmental disorders, and birth defects.
Sulfuric Acid
Copper sulfide mining also generates sulfates, which turn into sulfuric acid and leach heavy metals into ground water and soil. This is caused by acid mine drainage, and can seriously harm entire ecosystems. Sulfuric acid is extremely corrosive and can damage plant life, burn animals, and is toxic to aquatic environments.
Additionally, sulfuric acid alters the pH of water which can cause a serious disruption. It is also a large contributor to acid rain. These pollutants will remain in the environment for hundreds of years.
Lead
Lead can be commonly found in copper ore, and mining activity can cause lead to leach into waterways. There are numerous health issues caused by lead, ranging from neurological damage, learning and behavioral disabilities, hypertension, and reproduction issues.
PCBs
Mining companies may use electrical equipment containing PCBs, a chemical that breaks down extremely slowly in the environment. In open pit copper mines, if this equipment is not handled properly, there is the risk of PCB’s infiltrating groundwater. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified PCBs as a carcinogen, and these can also lead to biomagnification up the food chain which is an especially prominent issue when they are known to never break down.
Future pollution from processing copper
Aside from the immediate environmental harm that comes with copper mining, there is also additional toxic pollution caused by the processing of copper ore. The process of melting down copper is known as smelting, and produces sulfur dioxide which, as described above, is a known pollutant and further acidifies soil and water. Slag – the waste product of copper refining – can also further leach chemicals into groundwater. This shows that the harm to the environment from copper mining continues long after it has been extracted.
Chemical and toxin contamination associated with copper mines and copper production can harm ecosystems and communities. As demand for copper increases due to electric vehicles and electronics, we must prioritize our public land and the environment. However, there may be a solution that can prevent mining pollution while also continuing to use copper in our daily lives. An important trait of copper is that it can be recycled over and over again without losing its quality. If we invest in copper recycling instead of opening more mines, we can preserve our ecosystems and protect the environment from harm while also having the resources to move away from fossil fuels.
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Ellen runs campaigns to protect America’s beautiful places, from local beachfronts to remote mountain peaks. She sits on the Steering Committee of the Arctic Defense Campaign and co-coordinates the Climate Forests Campaign. Ellen previously worked as the organizing director for Environment America’s Climate Defenders campaign and managed grassroots campaign offices across the country. Ellen lives in Denver, where she likes to hike in Colorado’s mountains.
