Throughout the Sierra Nevada in northern California, the legacy of gold mining is much celebrated. But gold was not the only substance mined from the hills. Asbestos, a known carcinogen, also occurs naturally in the Sierra rock. And large mining operations in past decades rendered the naturally occurring asbestos much more dangerous by processing millions of tons of the asbestos containing rock, crushing it and leaving the asbestos waste “tailings” spread across the surface of the hills. The asbestos present in historic mine tailings can cause serious health problems when inhaled as dust in the course of work-related or recreation activities in the Sierra. The Sierra Nevada is one of the fastest growing regions in California. As more people move into the area, land use planners should direct this growth to ensure that human health is protected and that the problem caused by abandoned asbestos-containing mines is not aggravated. The Sierra Fund is a nonprofit organization in Nevada City, CA that works to raise awareness of the toxic underbelly of the mining legacy in the Sierra Nevada. The organization travels across the Sierra Nevada to meet and strategize with health professionals, land use planners, community groups, land trusts, environmental organizations, tribes, the mining industry and the general public.
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