A case history describing a recent occurrence at the site of the abandoned Brukunga pyrite mine in which tenants of the South Australian Government's Housing Trust (which currently owns and operates the mine township as rental accommodation) expressed concerns about risks to their health arising from the operations of a plant designed to treat mine drainage water (pH 2.5). Concerns arose when, after an extremely wet winter, crystals appeared in the soil around and beneath houses. Some tenants claimed that the crystals wen a health risk and alleged that they were the result of =page from the nearby mine tailings dam. Investigation carried out under instructions from the South Australian Health Commission showed that the crystals and other minor geochemical anomalies were due to weathering of the naturally occurring pyritic schist with pyrite veins beneath the township. Low level health risks associated with skin or eyehose contact and ingestion of soil are considered to be present at any site where similar geological conditions exist Clearly, in the minds of the general public, the tailings dam and acid treatment plant were identified as the cause of the problem regardless of the scientific facts. BRUKUNGA PYRITE MINE The Brukunga Pyrite Mine and township are located in the Southern Mount Lofty Ranges, approximately 35 km east of Adelaide (fig. 1). The mine was established in the early 1950s as a source of sulphur for the manufacture of superphosphate fertilisers.