Tsumeb smelter not a public health risk - Dundee

Dundee Precious Metals says its Tsumeb smelter is not a health or environmental risk to the town or its residents.

This is amid an ongoing investigation by the Namibian Competition Commission (NaCC) in connection with the sale of the smelter to Chinese company Sinomine Resource Group.

According to Canadian partners Dundee, the investigation does not allow assertions by the Tsumeb Business Consortium to be answered in public, although the company insisted that the smelter is not a danger. The business consortium and Tsumeb residents accused the smelter of sulphur dioxide air pollution and arsenic pollution of the soil.

“The smelter's leadership team has put in place strong health, safety and environmental monitoring systems. These procedures are to ensure that they are in line with Namibian and international standards, and that they do not pose health risks to the residents of Tsumeb," a statement, released by Dundee last week, read.

The company said its employees are subject to regular medical examinations by its own third-party medical service providers.

Billions spent

In light of accusations that an arsenic dam has serious consequences for Tsumeb, Dundee said billions of Namibian dollars have been spent to improve the smelter since the company bought it in 2010. “We have designed and built an approved specialised facility, designed to international standards, to safely store the arsenic waste product within the smelter site. The facility is operated according to regulatory approved design requirements and is closely monitored by the company's staff, with regular compliance reporting to the environment and tourism ministry and other government authorities. The facility is independently audited by qualified external auditors for assurance and compliance, and is fully licenced by the Namibian government," Dundee spokesperson Alina Garises said.

“The monitoring results did not report any exceedance of the standard. All [sulphur dioxide] emissions have been measured and remain within accepted limits," according to Garises, who insisted that "the smelter complies with the international air quality limits set out by the World Health Organisation [WHO], and emissions have decreased”.

However, residents complained just last week that emissions were making breathing difficult and, in the last two weeks, this had worsened.

‘Don’t drink tap water’

With regard to arsenic, Dundee said it already closed its arsenic trioxide plant in October 2016. The statement does not directly answer the question of what happens to the waste products from copper smelting - which contain arsenic.

Dundee further made reference to 2016 and 2018 community health reports which indicated that the smelter does not threaten the water supply in Tsumeb, and that the quality of drinking water meets WHO standards.

Meanwhile, environmental activist and EarthLife Namibia chairperson Bertchen Kohrs narrated that employees at a local hotel warned her on Saturday, 1 June to "under no circumstances drink the tap water”.

According to Dundee, a community health survey was conducted in the fourth quarter of 2023 by an independent health consultant, the results of which are currently being finalised.