Abandoned mines pose 'ominous' threat, report finds
Bureau of Land Management workers were warned by supervisors to ignore any problems at the sites, the Interior Department inspector general says.
By Vimal Patel, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 26, 2008
WASHINGTON -- Abandoned mines in California, Arizona and Nevada have "ominous" potential for causing more deaths, and government supervisors have ordered staffers to ignore the problems, according to a new report by the Interior Department's inspector general.
Based on visits to more than 45 abandoned mines, the report concludes that dangerous levels of contaminants such as arsenic, lead and mercury are present at sites easily accessible to the public....
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-mines26-2008jul26,0,7817324.story