Reducing Fugitive Dust at Red Dog Mine
A 2000 National Park Service study discovered elevated concentrations of metals in tundra along the road and near the port that served the Red Dog Mine in Alaska. The elevated concentrations led to concerns about potential effects on both the general population in the area and the environment.
Operated by Teck Cominco in conjunction with the land owner, NANA Regional Corporation, the Red Dog Mine is the largest producer of zinc concentrate in the world. Located in Alaska’s Brooks Range in a pristine tundra habitat about 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle, the mine has an annual production capacity of over 600,000 tons.
The mined ore contains metal sulphides and is milled to produce concentrated lead and zinc powders. These concentrated ores are hauled by trucks year-round from the mine to a shallow-water port for storage and eventual loading onto ships when the port is ice-free, only about 100 days a year. The concentrates are then transported in an enclosed conveyor system from the port storage buildings to barges for transfer to deepwater ships.
Metal concentrations discovered by the National Park Service study were apparently the result of escaping (“fugitive”) dust from operations along the transportation corridor.
Tech-Cominco upgraded its facilities to improve fugitive dust control and continues to assess and monitor the potential for risk to human health and the environment.
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