Animas River near Durango, Colorado - Gold King Goldmine Toxic Spill - Aug. 6, 2015

DENVER (AP) — The mustard-colored muck that spilled into a river from a shuttered Colorado gold mine contains heavy metals including lead and arsenic, but it's too early to know whether they pose a health risk, federal environmental officials said Friday.
The spill also contained cadmium, aluminum, copper and calcium, the EPA said. The concentrations were not yet known.
At least two of the heavy metals can be lethal for humans in long-term exposure. Arsenic at high levels can cause blindness, paralysis and cancer. Lead poisoning can create muscle and vision problems for adults, harm development in fetuses and lead to kidney disease, developmental problems and sometimes death in children, the agency said.
An EPA-supervised cleanup crew accidentally unleashed 1 million gallons of the wastewater from the mine on Wednesday, and it flowed into the Animas river through a tributary. The EPA warned people to stay out of the river, which is popular with boaters and anglers, and to keep domestic animals from drinking from it.

No drinking-water contamination was reported. At least seven water utilities shut down their intake valves ahead of the plume to keep it out of their systems.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/a-mustard-colored-muck-poured-out-of-a-shuttered-gold-mine-in-colorado-2015-8#ixzz3jHgmMOYs