ATLAS ASBESTOS MINE COALINGA - Environmental Context, Geological background, and Clean up efforts

Atlas Asbestos Mine Coalinga - Environmental Context, Geological Background, and Clean-up Efforts Name Institutional Affiliation Course Instructor Date Atlas Asbestos Mine Coalinga - Environmental Context, Geological Background, and Clean-up Efforts The Atlas Asbestos Superfund Mining Site Introduction The Atlas asbestos mine is one of the most notable abandoned mining sites in the United States due to its hazardous materials and deposits that pollute the environment. This mining site is located in Coalinga, California, and covers over four hundred and thirty-five hectares of mining region. It is important to note that this asbestos mining site was operational between 1963 and 1979 (EPA, 2024). The asbestos mine deposit naturally contained asbestos minerals that were chrysotile and serpentine. The mining and processing of these minerals occurred at the site. The processed asbestos crystals were transported to Coalinga City, about eight miles from the mine deposit. However, the government closed the Atlas asbestos mining site after the environmental protection agency declared the mine deposit a superfund site. This move was arrived at after a series of ecological tests indicated that the asbestos mining in the region polluted the environment (EPA, 2024). In 1983, this mining site was placed in the NPL, known in full as the national priorities list by the Environmental Protection Agency. Review In the 1950s, the state's mining and geology department in California discovered the Atlas asbestos mine contained asbestos deposits that could be mined and produce asbestos products containing short fiber. This agency's research study and experiment noted that the asbestos deposits comprised naturally occurring serpentine and chrysotile minerals that could be mined to produce these products for marketing once these minerals were processed. This led to various corporations rushing acquisitions and claims to start mining operations (Van Gosen & Clinkenbeard, 2011). The state granted the Atlas Corporation permission and land acquisition title for the larger part of the mining site. This corporation built milling and processing units for asbestos minerals at the Atlas asbestos site. Once the asbestos ore was mined, the ore was then milled and processed to extract the asbestos fiber products from the ore (EPA, 2024). The remaining materials and by-products of the asbestos mineral ore and waste materials were dumped on another site section. The waste material accumulated to become large landfills of asbestos waste estimated to be millions of cubic meters. Environmental implications The Atlas asbestos mining site was flagged as an environmental pollutant after it was discovered its operations and management violated the environment preservation and protection policies. The site's asbestos emissions were discovered in the water sample corrected from the aqueduct draining water into Los Angeles from California. This discovery prompted thorough experiments and tests by the metropolitan water district, which discovered high levels of asbestos fibers in the watercourse. According to reports and test results, asbestos fibers in the water were as high as two thousand five hundred million fibers (2500M) per litre. Afterward, the Department of Health Services in California indicated that this facility contributed significantly to water pollution, with water and waste discharged into the water basin being the major contributors (Van Gosen & Clinkenbeard, 2011). The department recommended stopping the mining and processing of asbestos minerals at the Atlas asbestos site to minimize environmental pollution. Moreover, results from the tests conducted using the surface water and sediment samples obtained from the mining site also indicated the presence of chromium and nickel that polluted the soils around this region. Certainly, the flooding in the area carried the mill waste tailings and the dug-out sediments deposited near the processing and milling facilities into the water basin in the region (Douglas & Van den Borre, 2019). Tests on these sediments illustrated high levels of chromium and nickel from asbestos mineral and ore processing. These by-products were labeled as the major environmental pollutants and contributed to the impacts of soil pollution in the Coalinga area and surrounding regions. The facility was termed a hazardous site that affected the quality of human activities and living, and stringent policies were necessary to mitigate its contribution to poor health living standards in the region. The Atlas asbestos mining site was also one of the largest mines, with large deposits of asbestos and minerals. This made the region an attractive area for most global corporate mining groups and organizations to tap and invest in mining operations in the 1960s (Van Gosen & Clinkenbeard, 2011). The region welcomed these investment corporations as they helped grow the economy of the local communities and created employment opportunities for residents. Nonetheless, the environmental implications of mining operations in the region were overlooked. Moreover, the mining corporations and groups at the Atlas asbestos mining site also neglected and violated environmental protection and preservation policies and guidelines set by ...