The advantages of cyanide leaching are:

• Small amount of cyanide is needed
• Only minor amounts of other minerals leached
• Leaches gold that is coarse, fine, and attached to rock
• Process is quick
• Cyanide degrades in the environment
• Risk of cyanide poisoning can be made low
• Cyanide does not accumulate in animals or plants

Disadvantages of cyanide leaching are:

• Cyanide is highly toxic
• Cyanide reacts with mercury to produce harmful mercury compounds