Metal mining poses unique risks to the environment. All phases of mining, from exploration to mineral processing, places Haiti’s land and water at risk of irreversible damage. 

Mining fundamentally changes the environment. Haiti is a mountainous country and gold deposits are frequently found in mountains. Exploratory drilling requires flattening natural hills and mountains to build flat areas for drilling and equipment. Construction of roads and digging of trenches to begin exploratory activities can cause erosion, damage topsoil and farmland, and can release toxic substances contained in the underlying bedrock, a form of toxic mine drainage. Toxic mine drainage can also contaminate adjacent and downstream water, disrupting the already limited sources of safe and clean water in Haiti. Residents of areas under mining permit have reported that mining exploration has destroyed crops. 

Although there are no active mines in Haiti, the environmental risks of mine construction, mineral extraction, and mineral processing worldwide are well documented. Construction and mineral extraction produces large amounts of dust, putting nearby community members at risk of asthma and other breathing problems. Gold and copper mining also require large amounts of water and create a significant risk of water contamination. In Chile, gold and copper mining caused water shortages that led to protests from local communities and farmers. Water shortages and contamination not only endanger the right to safe and clean water of Haitians, they also threaten the livelihoods of the primarily subsistence farming communities under mining permits and increase the costs of other uses of water, such as producing electricity. 

Mineral processing–when the gold or other metal is removed from the rock material around it–also risks polluting Haiti’s environment. The most significant risk is due to the use of cyanide to separate the gold from the other metals in the rock. Cyanide is capable of killing a person within minutes and even in lower doses can cause significant long-term health consequences. Cyanide is sprayed onto the rock to extract the gold. After the gold is extracted, the toxic rock is stored permanently in water contained behind tailing dams, giant earth mounds. The rate and severity of failure of tailing dams have been increasing in recent years due to the large amounts of waste produced by modern mining practices. The result of tailings dam failure is catastrophic. Since 1950, more than 2000 people have been killed by tailings dam failures. Failures decimate fish and other animal populations, cause irreversible damage to farmland, rivers, and forests, and destroy homes and other critical infrastructure.