The mining industry takes great care when handling the sodium cyanide solution and there has not been a cyanide related death to a mine employee in over 100 years in North America and Australia.

Many people do not realize that cyanide is found naturally occurring in several of the foods they eat every day but the body tolerates it quite well in small doses.

The biggest health concern with the use of cyanide in mining is the effect that it can have if it leaches into surface water. Fish are said to be over a thousand times more sensitive to cyanide than humans are, and pollution can have a detrimental effect on native ecosystems if used improperly.