quantities of cyanide, mercury and other heavy elements. The mercury is 'fixed' in a compound state by which it is thought will not ultimately enter the food chain, but no conclusive research has been performed. However, the mine has been certified as fully compliant with the International Cyanide Management Code. The mine also has three vast dumps of waste rock—stone with quantities of gold ore too low to be processed economically. In January 2009, Norway's finance ministry announced that the Government Pension Fund of Norway excluded Barrick Gold from its investments due to the “severe environmental damage” caused by the Porgera Gold Mine, stating that “the company’s riverine disposal practice is in breach of international norms [and] the company’s assertions that its operations do not cause long-term and irreversible environmental damage carry little credibility [and that there is] reason to believe that the company’s unacceptable practice will continue in the future.” Local politics The local body, which was established to represent the landowners around the mine, the Porgera Landowners Association (PLOA), is funded by a percentage of royalties from the mine, receiving $1.4 million in 2009. However, the PLOA refuses to publish its accounts, and many landowners accuse the leadership of the PLOA of lining their own pockets at the expense of ordinary landowners. As a result, the mine negotiates with individual landowners direct rather than through the PLOA as intended. Accidents In August 1994, eleven workers were killed when a blast destroyed the Dyno Wesfarmers explosives factory at the Porgera Gold Mine. The explosion left a crater 40 meters wide and 15 meters deep, damaging property up to 2 kilometers away. The cause of the accident was never determined. On 3 March 2012, five people were killed and at least one person was injured in a routine blast at the mine. Police said the victims had entered the mine illegally to search for gold. The three survivors were arrested and charged with trespassing. See also Ok Tedi mine disaster References External links Barrick Gold Corp Website Porgera Environmental Advisory Komiti's (PEAK) website Health concerns from Porgera Mine Emperor Gold press release (PDF) on sale of stake to Barrick Len Murray, Mark Thompson, Malcolm Lane: Obstacles to On-Land Mine Tailings Disposal in Papua New Guinea. Klohn Crippen Berger Ltd., Lane Associates Ltd. Oxfam Mining Ombudsman Annual Report 2000–2001 Gold’s Costly Dividend. Human Rights Impacts of Papua New Guinea’s Porgera Gold