Properties
- soluble in water
- smells like hydrogen cyanide
- salts and other compounds of hydrogen cyanide
Main sources
- agriculture (herbicide)
- metal industry (metal mining, extraction of precious metals from ores)
- chemical industry (waste water)
- also occur naturally
Thresholds for the reporting requirement of facilities in accordance with Annex 2 PRTRO
(Ordinance on the Register relating to Pollutant Release and the Transfer of Waste and of Pollutants in Waste Water)
- Air -
- Water 50 kg/year
- Soil 50 kg/year
Impacts
- very toxic, to aquatic organisms as well
Measures
- the extraction of precious metals from ores with cyanides is banned in many countries