FOLLOW UP TO REQUEST FOR REVIEW AND STRENGTHENING OF THE NATIONAL DUST CONTROL REGULATIONS

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) is calling for a review of South Africa's National Dust Control Regulations, arguing that current monitoring methods are inadequate and that the government is incorrectly treating fugitive dust as a 'nuisance' rather than a health risk. CER specifically highlights the danger of toxic substances like arsenic and uranium in gold mine residues in Gauteng and opposes a proposal to double the allowable 30-day average dust limit from 600mg/m2 to 1200mg/m2. The letter also demands that the scope of regulated activities be expanded to explicitly include gold mine tailings re-mining operations.

• The CER and its clients object to a proposal to increase the 30-day average dust limit for residential areas from 600mg/m2 to 1200mg/m2, arguing that this change is "regressive" and would mean "double the amount of dust must be retained by the buckets before any action is required".
• The CER challenges the Department of Environmental Affairs' characterization of fugitive dust emissions as "nuisance dust" rather than a health issue, stating that the health of community members is actively affected by exposure.
• Evidence from a 2009 Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD) report indicates that gold mine residues near residential areas contain "alarmingly high concentrations" of toxic substances, specifically uranium (0 to 1175mg/kg) and arsenic (1 to 1348mg/kg).
• The CER argues that the current 30-day monitoring average is inadequate because it fails to quantify high-concentration emissions occurring during discrete intervals, which allows industries to appear compliant despite community complaints of high emission episodes.
• The CER requests that the scope of the AQA s21 Listed Activities (subcategory 5.1) be reviewed to explicitly include gold mine tailings re-mining operations, which often occur near residential areas and are sources of significant dust.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2016). FOLLOW UP TO REQUEST FOR REVIEW AND STRENGTHENING OF THE NATIONAL DUST CONTROL REGULATIONS. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/161025-CER-letter-to-Minister.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. FOLLOW UP TO REQUEST FOR REVIEW AND STRENGTHENING OF THE NATIONAL DUST CONTROL REGULATIONS. 2016. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/161025-CER-letter-to-Minister.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=FOLLOW UP TO REQUEST FOR REVIEW AND STRENGTHENING OF THE NATIONAL DUST CONTROL REGULATIONS |date=25 October 2016 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/161025-CER-letter-to-Minister.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2016follow, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{FOLLOW UP TO REQUEST FOR REVIEW AND STRENGTHENING OF THE NATIONAL DUST CONTROL REGULATIONS}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2016}, month = oct, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/161025-CER-letter-to-Minister.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }