Acid Mine Drainage: devastating to aquatic life

Acid streams resulting from mining activities from certain types of mineral deposits such as those at Rapu Rapu are highly toxic to the aquatic environment. The extreme acidity is toxic to most aquatic life and even after neutralization the precipitate formed continues to affect aquatic organisms. Toxic elements, such as copper, cadmium and zinc are often associated with acidic mine drainage, contributing substantially to the devastating ecological effects of acid mine drainage.

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