Mining giant Newmont has advised the New South Wales Resources Regulator that two workers at its Cadia gold mine near Orange in central west NSW have early-stage silicosis.
Newmont Mining has told the ABC that both cases at Cadia were detected several years ago during health surveillance and have now progressed.
The first signs of the incurable lung disease are tiny white spots on a person’s lungs.
These spots can indicate exposure to silica and the potential for a person to develop the disease.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Newmont said that medical experts have advised that early detection, combined with preventative measures, will “significantly reduce any harmful impacts from the disease”.
Metal miners at risk but data lacking
Silicosis is caused by inhaling micro particles of crushed silica that lodge in the lungs causing scarring.
The disease is classed as occupational and is entirely preventable, according to leading respiratory specialist Associate Professor Deborah Yates.
“We know that if you’re not inhaling any silica dust, you don’t get silicosis,” Dr Yates said.
Metalliferous miners are at risk of silicosis due to the level of silica found in ore which is crushed during mining to extract minerals like gold and copper.
But Dr Yates said there was a lack of data around how many might have the disease in the metal mining sector because what data there is, is coming too late in a person’s prognosis.
“The majority of the data that we have comes from compensation statistics,” Dr Yates said.
“But it’s often a long time between when they’re diagnosed and when they get sick enough to actually qualify [for compensation].
“We want to pick it up when its early.”
She warned that a lack of a national register coupled with ad hoc testing and the disease’s slow onset meant cases could easily be missed.
“There are a whole load of cases that are probably out there in the community that have significant disease due to the dust, but it’s just not diagnosed because symptoms come late,” Dr Yates said.
“Unless you’re having an X-ray for another reason, or a CT scan for another reason, then sometimes you won’t pick anything up.”
Regulation of dust hazards difficult
Newmont said “multiple controls have been implemented” across the site in a bid to tackle worker’s exposure to respirable crystalline silica, including mandating the use of respirators in at-risk areas.
The company also advised they are practising “mechanical ventilation dust extraction, suppression, containment, and operator enclosures”.
The NSW Resources Regulator said it was aware of two silicosis cases at Cadia and had executed a “targeted intervention” at the mine site to ensure workplace standards were being upheld.
“No outstanding issues were identified during the site inspection,” the regulator said.
Dr Yates said implementing best practice on the ground was the critical part of the puzzle.
“You can legislate or regulate until you’re blue in the face but it won’t make any difference unless someone is actually thinking about [dust hazards] at the time,” she said.
“It’s really easy to think ‘oh I can’t be bothered to put on my mask’ and then regret that down the line.”
Multiple dust issues
Dust containment has plagued the Cadia mine site since 2018 when a dam wall containing mine waste collapsed.
Known as tailings, the reject crushed ore would dry out and become susceptible to dust lift on windy days, coating neighbouring pastures and homes.
In 2022 an independent audit report detected another source of excess dust from the mine.
The vent over the mine’s underground ore crusher was found to be shooting unfiltered crushed ore into the atmosphere at multiple times the legal limit.
The company would go on to plead guilty to four counts of breaching clean air legislation in the Land and Environment Court.
Two additional charges concerning alleged air pollution from airborne tailings are due to be heard this month.
