The air, water, and soil pollution caused by mining has numerous detrimental health effects. No matter which material is being extracted, the process of mining requires the destruction of forests or other vegetation in order to remove rocks and soil. This process disrupts ecosystems and sends dust into the air. This dust contains unrefined particles and toxic metals (i.e. mercury, arsenic, and lead). This air pollution causes frequent lung illnesses in miners, such as silicosis, but can also impact the health of nearby communities.

The waste from mines can also become acidic (called acid mine drainage) as it exposed to the air, making it difficult to retain in a protected area. This waste (called acid mine drainage) often pollutes ground and surface water with toxic chemicals and metals. These toxins can cause cancers, neurological damage, and even cardiovascular impacts.

For many years, Wisconsin’s Prove It First Law (also known as the Mining Moratorium law) protected Wisconsinities from new metallic mining projects. The Prove It First Law, passed in 1997, stated that a mining company had to identify an example of a sulfide mine that DIDN’T pollute during operations or after closing in order to obtain a permit. The industry failed produce a single such example, effectively halting all new proposals. However, in 2017, the Wisconsin legislature repealed the mining moratorium and altered the timeline for permit review, reducing the environmental health safeguards in place for Wisconsin.

View our handout about Health Effects of Metallic Sulfide Mining here.