An official at the Geological Survey of Iran says pollution in zinc, lead, and gold mines is higher than that in other mines, calling for protective measures to be taken by the Department of Environment (DOE), ISNA reported. “The zinc, lead, and gold mines generate large revenue streams for the state and create employment, so we cannot shut them down, but the DOE is expected to supervise their activities”, said Jamal Roshanravan, a GSI official. He explained that extraction does not generally lead to contamination, but that pollution often occurs during the mineral processing stage. He urged the DOE to oversee the pollutant mines by making sure the processing units are far enough from urban areas. A number of health risks may result from mine pollution depending on the specific substances present and their concentrations in air, soil, food or water.
