By Steve MacInnis, Cape Breton Post, March 6, 1999
The results of soil samples taken from a
construction project near the toxic Sydney tar ponds
show high levels of contamination.
As a result, the provincial Environment Department
has ordered the property owner, Atlantic Shopping
Centres Ltd., prepare a health risk assessment
detailing, among other things, how they plan to
dispose of the soil and how the building’s design
will prevent contamination from seeping inside.
Terry MacPherson, a hydrogeologist with the
department’s Sydney office, said Friday levels of
poly aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) exceed
guidelines set by the Canadian Council of Ministers
of the Environment (CCME). Also, he said, levels of
petroleum hydrocarbons are in excess of provincial
guidelines.
He said traces of the PAH benzo A pyrene were
recorded at 58 milligrams per kilogram which
exceeds CCME guidelines of 10 mg per kg –
nearly six times higher.
He said the department has conveyed the results to
the Department of Labour which believes the
numbers are not high enough to warrant a stop
work order.
MacPherson said Labour officials will be meeting
with the on-site occupational health and safety
committee to discuss the findings and precautions.
“They can continue working while they do the
assessment,” he said.
The construction site is located at the Sydney
Shopping Centre which is adjacent to the tar ponds
– part of the which is
considered Canada’s worst toxic waste dump.
Sydney Sobeys extension being built on toxic soil
Health-risk assessment puts floor on hold
By Tera Camus / Cape Breton Bureau
Sydney - Sobeys is building an extension to its store on toxic soil.
Tests from the provincial Environment Department came back
Friday with higher than acceptable limits of cancer-causing
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and petroleum hydrocarbons,
likely diesel fuel.
Terry MacPherson, an inspector with the department, said the
nearby tar ponds are the likely source.
Black goo seeped into the Prince Street mall parking lot in
January, after poles and steel beams were pushed through the
pavement to support the new extension.
A shopper complained to the Environment Department after the
sludge was tracked inside the mall.
No work-stoppage order was issued, but contractor Joneljim
Construction and Atlantic Shopping Centres, owned by Sobeys,
have been ordered to complete a health-risk assessment of the
project.
"Basically we've asked for them to retain a toxicologist or
risk-assessment firm ... and come back," he said.
"Our main concern is the insulation of the slab (flooring), and
that's not in. They put a footer in, and they got walls up so they can
still do this work and not jeopardize the time lines of the project."
The risk assessment must address several concerns. These
include off-site disposal of excess soil generated on-site, any
radical ground work that's done in future and any changes that
may be required to the design in order to stop the migration of
volatile organic compounds into the building.
Until those concerns are addressed, the company cannot put in a
floor, Mr. MacPherson says.
The provincial Labour Department was contacted Friday about
the test results.
"(But) Labour felt the numbers weren't high enough that would
jeopardize the health and safety of the workers, provided they
were not in direct contact with the material," he said.
The on-site occupational and health and safety committee will
meet to address the test results.
JAG tar ponds video wins national praise
SYDNEY - A Joint Action Group video capturing the ugly sights
of the tar ponds and coke ovens site has won national
recognition.
The Canadian Corporate Television Association praised the
20-minute video and awarded a certificate to the group for its
effort. The association membership includes producers of
educational and promotional videos.
"We knew it was an award-winner right from the first viewing,"
JAG chairman Carl Buchanan said in a news release.
The film traces the history of the site and the level of
contamination, including the infamous 700,000 tonnes of toxic
goo at the tar ponds. Release from ROGER DIXON
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Release from ROGER DIXON
