"It just takes a little time to do some of the tests ... because we want to be sure the best, most accurate testing and results are provided," Dr. Jeff Scott, Nova Scotia's provincial health officer, said Friday.
Dr. Scott ordered the testing after arsenic-laced "yellow ooze" was found seeping out of rail bed into a brook, part of the that runs through the backyards of several Frederick Street homes, about 50 metres from the site of Sysco's old coke ovens.
The Sydney dump, in use for almost 100 years, and the tar ponds are also located in the , which is considered one of the worst toxic-waste sites in North America.
Frederick Street residents want to be relocated, claiming their homes are now worthless and their health is being endangered by the environment.
Testing of blood samples for iron and hair samples for arsenic will likely be completed next week, Dr. Scott said.
"Once I get the results, I will be providing them to the residents along with an interpretation of what they mean," he said. "If there is a risk of any sort to health, that will be made clear. If there isn't, that will also be made clear."
The results are likely to vary for each resident, depending on such factors as age, the exact location of each residence and the duration of exposure to any toxins.
Frederick Street residents are hoping the test results will provide them with medical evidence to explain why most of them are suffering from sore throats, dry eyes, nausea and headaches.
"I don't want to leave my home, but we can't stay someplace that's making us sick," resident Ronnie MacDonald said Wednesday, after he and his wife, Betty, had returned from giving blood and hair samples.
The provincial Department of Transportation and Public Works has completed a series of soil, water and air tests of the area, and the results are being analyzed, a spokeswoman for the department said.
Those results are also expected to be given to residents within two weeks, and will be separate from but complementary to the medical tests.
Continuation
of this 3 page feature in the Sunday Halifax Chronicle Herald