Tailings dam failure

The structural failure of tailings dams and the ensuing release of toxic metals in the environment is a great concern.

A large number remain completely unreported, or lack basic facts when reported.

[1] According to mining engineer David M Chambers of the Center for Science in Public Participation, 10,000 years is "a conservative estimate" of how long most tailings dams will need to maintain structural integrity.

[5] The mining and processing byproducts collected in tailings dams are not part of the aerobic ecological systems, and are unstable.

[22] The following table of the deadliest known tailings dam failures is not comprehensive, and the casualty figures are estimates.