Impact of metals on the environment due to technical accident at Aurul Baia Mare, Romania.

The S.C. Aurul S.A. is a joint venture company owned by the Esmeralda from Australia and the "Remin" National Company of Precious and Non-ferrous Metals in Romania, established in 1992. The design concept was to transport the mining waste away from the city, while the gold and silver in the tailings could be recovered, using efficient and modern technology that was not available at the time the dam was established. On 30 January, 2000, at 22.00, the dam burst and released 100,000 cubic meters of tailing pulp, heavily contaminated with cyanide and cyanide complexes, especially with copper, into the Lapus and Somes tributaries of the river Tisa. The paper deals with the impact of metals on the environment associated with their presence in surface waters, river sediments and soils.