Published: April 15, 2024 |

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Workers at the East Boulder Mine near Big Timber were kept from going underground after sensors carried by employees showed elevated levels of mercury, a company official said Friday.

Five employees wearing mercury patch testers came back with the elevated mercury levels, according to Heather McDowell, a spokesperson for the mine, which is owned by Sibanye Stillwater.

Mine officials are trying to determine whether the mercury came from an underground rock source, or whether the test were faulty, McDowell said. Sibanye Stillwater recently switched to a new equipment provider.

Mercury is a naturally occurring element that can be toxic to people with exposure in even small levels, according to the World Health Organization. Risks include damage to nervous, digestive and immune systems, and on lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes.

The East Boulder Mine is one of two Montana mines owned by South Africa-based Sibanye Stillwater, which is North America’s largest producer of platinum and palladium. The other is the Stillwater mine in Nye.

Source: KTVQ

Sibanye-Stillwater is a multinational mining and metals processing group with a diverse portfolio of operations, projects and investments across five continents. The group is also one of the foremost global recyclers of PGM autocatalysts and has interests in leading mine tailings retreatment operations. Sibanye-Stillwater is one of the world’s largest primary producers of platinum, palladium, and rhodium and is a top tier gold producer. It also produces and refines iridium and ruthenium, nickel, chrome, copper and cobalt. The Group has recently begun to diversify its asset portfolio into battery metals mining and processing and increase its presence in the circular economy by growing its recycling and tailings reprocessing exposure globally.

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