H. Avagyan, Dr. in Geological Sciences, the Hayots Ashkharh
Both Hrazdan and Amoulsar opencast mine developments will always pose appalling and terrible problems to nation’s health. But if Hrazdan iron mine must be developed in any way, Amoulsar gold-polymetallic mine cannot be developed in opencast manner with the following substantiations: Hrazdan iron mine is only 800 metes far away from the town. If Hrazdan iron mine is developed, iron ore dust will be emitted into the atmosphere together with other closely related elements such as gallium, silver, nickel, cobalt, titanium, lithium, copper, lead and zinc dusts. The majority of these elements belong to heavy metals and extremely hazardous for people. Cadmium, lead, and iron cause various diseases, if they penetrate into the human body, the most dangerous is cancer. Other heavy metals are not less hazardous, as they cause cardiovascular diseases, destroy kidney, liver, lungs up to bone tissues (for example, copper.)
Amoulsar gold-polymetallic mine opencast development is also impermissible. This mine is also known as Kaqavasar (it has renamed to Amoulsar recently) and morphologically it belongs to venous type. Venous mines are characteristic of copper, lead, zinc, gold and silver, and they are closely connected with selenium, tellur, bismuth, cadmium, germanium, indium and iron. Out of this list 11 elements (copper, lead, zinc, gold and silver, bismuth, cadmium, germanium, indium and iron) are heavy metals, while selenium and tellur are highly toxic elements extremely hazardous for people and fauna. Arpa and Vorotan river waters will be hazardous as well, and as they flow to Sevan, they will bring all toxic elements, including heavy metals and dust to Sevan thus contaminating it.
May 19, 2011 at 14:30