Finnish Nickel and Zinc Mine Leaking Water with High Levels of Uranium
November 13th, 2012Via: Reuters:
Finnish nickel miner Talvivaara said on Friday it was still trying to fix a waste water leak at its mine in Sotkamo, eastern Finland, which resulted in high levels of uranium in nearby waters.
Uranium more than 50 times higher than normal levels were found in streams this week near Talvivaara’s nickel and zinc mine, according to nuclear safety officials, although they said they did not see any risk to public health. The ore from the mine also contains uranium.
Talvivaara shut down production at the mine on Sunday after discovering the leakage, the latest in a series of problems at the site over the past year including environmental concerns and the death of a worker in March.
The company announced early on Friday that it stopped the leakage, but later said that another leak had occurred and it was working to fix it.
