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Environmental impact of the chemical industry in Sarnia

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Chemical Valley adjoining Rainbow Park

Sarnia's "Chemical Valley" and the surrounding area are home to 62 chemical facilities and refineries. A 2007 Ecojustice Canada report showed that industrial facilities located within 25km of Sarnia, Ontario emitted more than 131,000 tonnes of air pollution in 2005.[1]

Air pollution and disease

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Aamjiwnaang Resource Centre directly across from INEOS Styrolution

In January 2011, the Sarnia Observer noted that "Sarnia had by far the highest levels of fine particulate matter recorded at any of the province's 40 monitoring stations, with significantly sootier air than Windsor, Hamilton, Kingston, and Chatham."[2] In September 2011, the World Health Organization reported that "[w]hile Canada ranks third in the world when it comes to air quality, Sarnia was ranked the worst city in the country, with the most particulate matter per cubic metre of air."[3] Pamela Calvert's 2006 documentary on the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, The Beloved Community,[4] states that the Aamjiwmnaang birth rate of males to females is 1 to 2, the lowest live male birth rate in Canada.[5][6] There is also correlation between living in Sarnia and cancer rates among men — it has a 34% higher overall cancer rate than the provincial average, a lung cancer rate that is 50% higher, a mesothelioma rate five times higher, and an asbestosis rate nine times higher.[7]

However, the Sarnia Observer also stated in their January 2011 article that "Sarnia has reduced its nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide problems by 30% in the last three years" and that "Environment Minister John Wilkinson said it's the first time in the report's 39-year history pollutants have not exceeded provincial monitoring standards. That translated into a record low of three smog advisories and five smog days in 2009."[2]

A Lambton County document indicated that in 2005, up to fifty-five percent of ground level ozone and fine particulate matter emissions come from neighbouring United States facilities, which "play a significant role in air quality considerations on a regional scale."[8]

Imperial Oil Refinery
Esso holding tanks which are part of the Imperial Oil Refinery

A 2019 study reviewed incidence of acute myeloid leukemia from 1992 to 2010 in industrial Ontario cities and found that parts of Sarnia had an incidence rate three times higher than the national average.[9]

On May 17, 2024, after elevated benzene levels were detected at the INEOS Styrolution fence line and the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault issued an interim order under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act that would require Sarnia’s petrochemical facilities to implement vapour control measures, “including fully closed vent systems with vapour control on certain storage tanks that store benzene.” The order applies to facilities with fence line concentrations of benzene above 29 μg/m3 measured in any of the two-week sampling periods beginning on March 1, 2023, and ending on February 29, 2024.[10]

On June 11, 2024, Ineos Styrolution announced that it would permanently close its Sarnia facility by June 2026.[11]

Water pollution

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Water pollution is a serious concern in Sarnia. A June 2003 Ryerson University study concluded that the main source of water pollution in the St. Clair River occurs at the Sarnia Water Pollution Control Centre (WPCC) due to chemical spills and ship emissions.[12] In 2008, the city resolved to replace the aging sewer pumps that controlled the effluent. Minutes of a meeting between Mayor Mike Bradley and Sarnia City Council state that "[t]he cost of repairing the raw sewage pumps is a significant portion of purchasing a new unit. However, based on the performance of the existing units over the past 8 years, City staff prefers to look at other manufacturers for replacing the existing Fairbanks-Morse pumps as they require their second rebuilding."[13] In 2010, the water distribution report indicated that "no filter effluent turbidity exceeded the prescribed test result for adverse reporting." Further, the report concluded that "[n]o inorganic or organic parameters exceeded half the standard prescribed in Schedule 2 of the Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standards."[14]

Shale gas controversy

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There were plans to bring shale gas into Chemical Valley by pipeline in mid-2013.[needs update] This process is divisive because it necessitates hydraulic fracturing to extract the gas, which can damage water supplies and produce long-lasting toxic deposits.[15][16][17][18][19]

Warning sirens

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Due to the risk of hazardous materials incidents (chemical emergencies) occurring in the industrial corridor south of Sarnia, four sirens have been placed in Sarnia south of Wellington Street, three more on the Aamjiwnaang First Nation reserve, three in Corunna, and one in Point Edward.[20] In the event of an emergency requiring immediate action by the public, the sirens are sounded for a three-minute period, serving as an alert to the public to seek shelter indoors and to tune to a local radio station for updated instructions. An emergency command centre located at the Sarnia Police Station can coordinate deployments of emergency responders during hazardous materials incidents.[21][22]

BASES (Bluewater Association for Safety, Environment, and Sustainability) is the leading industry partner in the Sarnia-Lambton region. They also manage the Sarnia-Lambton Alerts system, a regional emergency notification tool used by local municipalities to communicate information including shelter-in-place and evacuation advisories that include emergencies from the petrochemical industry.[23]

References

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  1. ^ MacDonald, Elaine; Rang, Sarah (October 2007). "Exposing Canada's Chemical Valley-An Investigation of Cumulative Air Pollution Emissions in the Sarnia, Ontario Area" (PDF). Ecojustice Canada. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b Jeffords, Shawn (16 January 2011). "Sarnia's Dirty Air Clouds New Report Touting Air Pollution Cuts". Sarnia Observer. Archived from the original on 17 April 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  3. ^ Jeffrey, Tara (27 September 2011). "Sarnia Air Canada's Worst". Sarnia Observer. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  4. ^ Calvert, Pamela (2007). "THE BELOVED COMMUNITY - Discussion Guide". California Newsreel. Archived from the original on 26 July 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  5. ^ Colihan, Mary Ann (1 April 2008). "Aboriginal Canadians, Chemical valley". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  6. ^ "Environmental Rights: Human Rights and Pollution in Sarnia's Chemical Valley" (PDF). University of Victoria. 13 June 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  7. ^ Mittelstaedt, Martin (3 April 2009). "Dying For a Living". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 21 June 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  8. ^ Yap, David; Reid, Neville; De Brou, Gary; Bloxam, Robert (June 2005). "Transboundary Air Pollution in Ontario" (PDF). Ontario Ministry of the Environment. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  9. ^ Ghazawi, Feras M.; Le, Michelle; Cyr, Janelle; Netchiporouk, Elena; Rahme, Elham; Alakel, Akram; Zubarev, Andrei; Powell, Mathieu; Moreau, Linda; Roshdy, Osama; Glassman, Steven J.; Sasseville, Denis; Popradi, Gizelle; Litvinov, Ivan V. (27 February 2019). "Analysis of acute myeloid leukemia incidence and geographic distribution in Canada from 1992 to 2010 reveals disease clusters in Sarnia and other industrial US border cities in Ontario". Cancer. 125 (11): 1886–1897. doi:10.1002/cncr.32034. ISSN 0008-543X.
  10. ^ Jeffrey, Tara (17 May 2024). "Ottawa imposing strict benzene pollution controls for Sarnia". The Sarnia Journal.
  11. ^ "INEOS Styrolution to close its Sarnia facility". CTV News. 11 June 2024.
  12. ^ "Pollution Prevention and Control Planning Study". Ryerson University. June 2003. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
  13. ^ "Mayor Bradley and Members of Sarnia City Council Water Pollution Control Centre – Raw Sewage Pump Replacement" (PDF). City of Sarnia. 14 October 2008. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  14. ^ "2010 Water Distribution Report" (PDF). City of Sarnia. August 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  15. ^ Kula, Tyler (16 March 2012). "Switch to U.S. shale gas a boon for Sarnia jobs". The London Free Press. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  16. ^ Howarth, Robert W.; Santoro, Renee; Ingraffea, Anthony (12 April 2011). "Methane and the greenhouse-gas footprint of natural gas from shale formations: A letter". Climatic Change. 106 (4): 679–690. doi:10.1007/s10584-011-0061-5. ISSN 0165-0009 – via SpringerLink.
  17. ^ Powell, Devin (16 February 2012). "Natural gas wells leakier than believed". Science News. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  18. ^ Phillips, Susan (8 December 2011). "EPA Blames Fracking for Wyoming Groundwater Contamination". StateImpact Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  19. ^ Biello, David (30 March 2010). "What the Frack? Natural Gas from Subterranean Shale Promises U.S. Energy Independence--With Environmental Costs". Scientific American. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  20. ^ "Your Home Emergency Preparedness Guide" (PDF). CAER Sarnia Ontario.
  21. ^ "Community Warning System". CAER Sarnia Ontario.
  22. ^ Cabana, Ysh (25 October 2019). "In Canada's Chemical Valley, a tour sheds light on tragic toxicity". The Philippine Reporter. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  23. ^ "Be ready for anything: Emergency Preparedness Week 2023". theobserver.ca. May 1, 2023.
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