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Buyat Bay is Polluted and a Risk to the Community

Highlights of the Official Joint Investigation of Buyat Bay

Published: November 10, 2004

By: WALHI, JATAM, ICEL

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Top Ten Key Findings:

1. Buyat Bay seabed is polluted with arsenic and mercury.
    
2. Arsenic and mercury found in Buyat Bay is not natural.
    
3. Newmont dumping breached toxic waste law.
    
4. Arsenic and mercury in fish poses unacceptable risk for Buyat Bay community.
    
5. Mercury is accumulating in seabed creatures of Buyat and Ratatotok Bays.
    
6. Biodiversity in Buyat Bay hit by arsenic pollution.
    
7. No protective thermocline despite Newmont claims.
    
8. Buyat Bay human health hazard requires fish intake reduction and possibly relocation of residents.
    
9. Buyat Bay human health hazard requires arsenic poisoning investigation and up to 30 years monitoring by Newmont.
    
10. Legal action should be taken over breaches of environmental law and ocean dumping of mine waste should not be permitted in future.

Tagged with: water polltution, mining, indonesia, buyat bay