Nyrstar - Scandals and contr | Nyrstar Collective

Nyrstar: Consolidated overview of disputes, legal proceedings, and environmental issues

Year

Event

Jurisdiction

Details

2018

Moonah identified as the most polluted postcode in Hobart (ACF report)

Australia (Tasmania)

A report by the Australian Conservation Foundation, based on NPI data, identified the neighborhoods surrounding the Nyrstar zinc smelter (postcodes 7009, 7010, and 7015) as the most polluted neighborhoods in Hobart.

2018–2019

Persistently high blood lead levels in children in Port Pirie

Australia (South Australia)

In 2018, 50.5% of children under five in Port Pirie had blood lead levels above the Australian action threshold of 5 µg/dL; among two-year-olds, the average was 5.8 µg/dL. Research (Macquarie University, published 2019) indicated a direct link to smelter emissions and sulfur dioxide.

Q2–Q3 2019

Unplanned shutdown in Port Pirie and force majeure

Australia (South Australia)

On May 28, 2019, the blast furnace went down. During the planned restart, a steam eruption occurred at the refinery, causing a water jacket and a gas line of the TSL furnace to fail. Nyrstar invoked force majeure under various contracts; production did not resume until late July 2019.

2017 (public 2020)

Cadmium leak in groundwater in Port Pirie (Section 83 notification)

Australia (South Australia)

A cadmium leak from a chemical storage area in 2017 led to a Section 83 notification under the Environment Protection Act but was not made public. The incident only came to light through FOI requests by ABC News in 2020.

March 2020

EPA SA sues Nyrstar over sulfuric acid leak in First Creek

Australia (South Australia)

The South Australian EPA announced it would prosecute Nyrstar for causing “serious environmental harm” following the leak of approximately 700 liters of sulfuric acid into First Creek (February 1–3, 2019), which resulted in local fish kills in mangroves.

nov/20

PFAS detected in groundwater beneath Port Pirie smelter

Australia (South Australia)

Routine monitoring by Nyrstar revealed PFAS contamination at multiple monitoring wells. The EPA mandated a comprehensive soil and groundwater audit; in 2022, an audit also confirmed PFAS in the Port Pirie River and low uranium concentrations.

Dec 2020 / Jan 2021

Port Pirie smelter exceeds new lead-in-air limit

Australia (South Australia)

EPA SA warned that Nyrstar would exceed its new annual average lead-in-air limit. In early 2021, data confirmed that the license condition had been violated (TSP-LiA 0.41 µg/m³ versus a limit of 0.40 µg/m³); a formal investigation was opened.

February 2021

Ten-year peak in blood lead levels among children in Port Pirie

Australia (South Australia)

SA Health reported that 276 children between the ages of two and five had blood lead levels above 5 µg/dL in 2020; the number with ≥20 µg/dL rose from 13 (2019) to 16 (2020). Among two-year-olds, the average was 7.3 µg/dL.

February 2021

Fatal accident involving Cody Maggard – Nyrstar Immel Mine, Tennessee

USA (Tennessee)

26-year-old Cody Maggard was killed in a “powered haulage” accident at Immel Mine in Knox County. He was crushed between a chute and the deck of a mine locomotive. The MSHA investigation classified it as a fatal workplace accident.

May 2021

Fatal accident involving Brandon Rosky – Nyrstar Young Mine, Tennessee

USA (Tennessee)

35-year-old Brandon Rosky died after being struck by a trailer during his second week on the job at Young Mine (Jefferson County).

July 2021

Fatal accident involving Gerald Turbyville – Immel Mine + three MSHA citations in 18 days

USA (Tennessee)

Second fatal accident of the year at Immel Mine: 68-year-old Gerald Turbyville was struck by a boulder during scaling work. Between July 1 and 18, 2021, Immel Mine received three MSHA citations for safety violations. The widow filed a lawsuit (settled in 2022).

July 2021

Devastating floods hit Stolberg smelter (later acquired by Nyrstar)

Germany (NRW)

The catastrophic floods in western Germany shut down the Stolberg smelter (then Ecobat). Nyrstar/Trafigura acquired the facility in February 2023 and reopened it in April 2023 as Nyrstar Stolberg.

aug/21

A$35,000 fine for sulfuric acid leak in Port Pirie

Australia (South Australia)

In 2021, a court imposed a civil penalty of A$35,000 on Nyrstar Port Pirie after approximately 700 liters of sulfuric acid spilled into waterways and mangroves.

apr/22

Port Pirie site contamination audit confirms heavy metal and PFAS contamination

Australia (South Australia)

The EPA-accredited audit report confirmed the presence of heavy metals (cadmium, lead) and PFAS in the Port Pirie River, along with low concentrations of uranium—consistent with the site’s long industrial history.

December 2024 – March 2025

Lead poisoning in birds and bats around Port Pirie

Australia (South Australia)

In 2024, dozens of dead birds and bats were reported in Port Pirie; tests indicated acute lead poisoning. In 2025, The Guardian reported that some animals had lead exposure levels up to 3,000 times the accepted limit and that no formal source investigation had been launched.

December 2024 – October 2025

Lead contamination found in Lutana and Eastern Shore (Hobart)

Australia (Tasmania)

Initial measurements by EPA Tasmania detected lead in deposited dust around Nyrstar Hobart. ABC News revealed, via Right-to-Information documents, high concentrations between December 2024 and June 2025. EPA Tasmania launched a comprehensive dust and health investigation with approximately 45 monitoring sites.

aug/25

Nyrstar Pelt permit for discharge of chloride/sulfate/thallium/selenium into the Eindergatloop

Belgium (Limburg) / Netherlands

The Province of Limburg granted a partial permit valid until December 31, 2027. The Dutch water board De Dommel, the province of North Brabant, eleven border municipalities (including Eindhoven, Valkenswaard, Veldhoven), Natuurmonumenten, Bond Beter Leefmilieu, Limburgse Milieukoepel, Natuurpunt Pelt, and Dryade filed an appeal; the “toxic stream” flows into the Dommel via the Eindergatloop.

July 2025

Fatal accident at Young Mine (Jefferson County) – third fatal incident

USA (Tennessee)

On July 12, 2025, a section of the mine roof collapsed. One worker was killed; MSHA classified it as a “fall of roof or back.” The remaining workers were safely evacuated.

2025

Persistent exceedance of lead-in-air limits in Port Pirie

Australia (South Australia)

Nyrstar exceeded the 12-month average TSP lead-in-air level at the monitoring sites Pirie West Primary School (0.38 µg/m³ and 0.39 µg/m³ against a limit of 0.36 µg/m³), Ellen Street (2.07 versus 1.6 µg/m³), and Boat Ramp (0.62 versus 0.54 µg/m³). Sulfur odor complaints in the community led to confirmed SO₂ incidents.

March 2026

Flemish Minister Brouns partially tightens Nyrstar Pelt permit

Belgium (Flanders) / Netherlands

Based on the advice of the Regional Environmental Permit Commission, Minister Jo Brouns reduced the daily discharge limits for chloride (from 9,000 to 8,000 kg/day) and sulfate (from 4,200 to 3,600 kg/day). The standards for the heavy metals thallium and selenium were not tightened—the De Dommel Water Board and environmental organizations are continuing legal proceedings.

Ongoing case

Historical soil contamination in Auby (Nord) – Nyrstar France SAS

France (Hauts-de-France)

In November 2020, the Préfecture du Nord imposed a mandatory pollution study on Nyrstar via a “complimentary prefectural decree.” Due to a century of zinc and lead activity, the Noyelles-Godault/Auby basin is one of the most heavily contaminated industrial zones in France (lead, cadmium, arsenic).