Sydney safe place to live: health officials
By Tanya Collier Macdonald
Cape Breton Post
Sat., July 31, 2004
Sydney is a safe place to live
say health officials who
reviewed soil samples taken
within a three-kilometre radius
of the coke ovens site.
"We don't believe there is a
health concern," said Dr. Jeff
Scott, chief medical officer of
health for Nova Scotia. "We're
not recommending any
actions."
Findings from the Sydney
Urban Statistical Analysis
Report were released Friday,
three years after 194 samples
were taken randomly throughout
this community. Another 54
soil samples were taken from
homeowners who requested
soil testing.
The study was commissioned
by Health Canada and
recommended by Scott following
a soil sampling program
done immediately north of the
coke ovens in 2001.
Those samples were used to
support a chronic health risk
assessment prepared by toxicologists
and risk assessment
experts from JDAC Environment Ltd.
The experts gathered a thousand soil samples,
site inspections and interviews
with the owners of 124 properties
neighbouring the coke ovens site.
It was determined that the
area was safe to live in but
remediation was recommended for 71 properties.
In the urban analysis
report Friday, similar chemicals
and concentrations were
found in properties along
Victoria Road and Railway Street
in Whitney Pier and areas
around the Sydney landfill.
However, no remediation will
be offered by government, said
Scott.
The balance of the three-kilometre
area sampled was found to be
similar to North Sydney - the urban reference
area selected for comparison.
Scott said there was no pattern
to the chemical concentrations
throughout the community
and Sysco was cited as
having only a small impact on
the variation of soil chemistry.
"I'm sure there were many
exposures, including the plant
itself," he said.
No further study of soil recommended
In August 1973, an official with
Environment Canada provided
a detailed and scientific analysis
of the emissions at Sysco.
In a summary of the information,
Sysco was described
as producing steel from raw
materials with an annual steel
capacity of 1.1 million tonnes.
At the time, due to no pollution
control, the daily particulate
emissions from Sysco were
just under 109 tonnes per day.
In a response prepared by
Scott and Dr. Charl Badenhorst,
regional medical officer
of health, five recommendations were made.
"Although the exposure to
chemicals in soil is likely no
different from exposure in similar
urban communities in
Nova Scotia, and recognizing
that soil exposure is one of the
least likely sources of harmful
exposure to chemicals, the prudent
public health approach is
to minimize overall exposure
to chemicals in soil," they said.
For example, any future residential
development in Sydney should take into account
findings in the soil sample
reports. The Cape Breton District
Health Authority should
continue to develop and implement
an exposure pathways
education program so individuals
will know how to safely
dispose of chemical sources
like ash, and how to limit
future exposures, they said.
As well, because the
cleanup of the Sydney tar
ponds and coke ovens site is
expected to get underway soon,
the remediation should be
done in such a way that
increased exposure to
chemicals is prevented.
"Planning and the operation
of on-site remediation
should take into account the
knowledge of the chemical
analysis found off-site and use
opportunities to reduce existing
exposure where feasible,"
said Scott and Badenhorst.
"Don't ignore the knowledge
that's available."
No further study of soil
concentrations were recommended
unless the results are needed
to define or monitor specific
remediation activities.
"Now we can focus on cleaning
up the sites safely," said
Scott.
A draft of the statistical
analysis report has been in
governments' hands since September
2002. In February 2003,
a group of reviewers recommended
further clarification
before it was presented to the
public.
tcmacdonald@cbpost.com
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