February 5, 2003 -
VANCOUVER - Asbestos levels 10 to 30 times higher than is allowed in most municipal garbage dumps have been found at a construction site for a farmed salmon hatchery on British Columbia’s central coast, an investigation by a First Nation and environmental organizations has found.
Formerly the site of a pulp mill, the land at Ocean Falls is now leased to Omega Salmon Ltd. by the provincial government, which did not ensure a proper environmental review was conducted before redevelopment began in fall 2002, say the Heiltsuk Nation, the Sierra Legal Defence Fund and the David Suzuki Foundation.
“The Heiltsuk Nation is concerned that the site disturbance at Ocean Falls from Omega Salmon’s construction activities may be spreading contaminants into the environment, including the marine environment,” said spokesman Philip Hogan.
The construction site north of Bella Bella is located in Heiltsuk traditional territory and Heiltsuk officials inspected the site in December because they feared that wastes from the former pulp mill - known for spills and pollution – were not properly cleaned up, Mr. Hogan said.
Soil excavated in the middle of the hatchery construction site was white, which is an obvious sign of industrial contamination. Storm water runoff from the site was also white and poured into the ocean, he added.
The David Suzuki Foundation contracted an independent Vancouver laboratory, Cantest and Research Services, to analyze the soil samples, said Otto Langer, director of the Foundation’s marine conservation program.
“Analyses of soil from where the pulp mill stood indicated that the sample containing white soil contained a minimum of 10 per cent and as much as 30 per cent by volume of chrysotile asbestos fibres,” Mr. Langer said.
Most landfills will not accept soil with asbestos levels exceeding one per cent.
The pulp mill was decommissioned, and much of the site and the actual village of Ocean Falls demolished, in the early 1980s, but no proper cleanup of contaminated soils was ever undertaken, Mr. Langer added.
In order to obtain a construction permit, Omega told government officials that they would avoid all contaminated areas from the pulp mill when building their hatchery.
“The federal and provincial governments should not have solely relied on Omega to ensure that all contaminated areas were avoided. It is now obvious that any testing for contamination where they began construction was totally inadequate,” said Mr. Langer.
All construction activity at the site should be stopped until a proper environmental review, including consultation with First Nations and environmental groups, is conducted, said Angela McCue, Sierra Legal Defence Fund senior counsel, who is representing the Heiltsuk Nation.
“Resumption of work at the site should only be resumed once a proper environmental screening and assessment is completed and indicates that development at the site will not harm human health or the environment,” said Ms. McCue.
Both the Workers’ Compensation Board and the regional health authority were notified of these elevated asbestos levels so that worker and public protection could be immediately addressed. This is vital because construction of the hatchery continues despite several recent protests by the Heiltsuk and environmentalists that caused temporary shutdowns.
In Canada, until the early 1990s, asbestos was commonly used in construction and in many products because of its strength and excellent insulating qualities. Because of severe impacts on human health, its use was banned over a decade ago in many products like insulation for buildings, flooring felt, and corrugated, commercial or specialty paper, in Canada, the U.S. and many European countries.
Asbestos fibres are very fine and glass-like and when inhaled cause significant damage to the lungs. The fibres can migrate through cell tissues, causing great damage and even cancer. Researchers have raised concern about the presence of asbestos fibres in drinking water and in freshwater or marine environments, which is a concern at Ocean Falls since the hatchery is being built on the waterfront.
“Heiltsuk people continue to rely heavily upon marine resources for subsistence as well as for cultural and social uses, some of which have been recognized as aboriginal rights by Canadian courts,” said Mr. Hogan. “Any threat to these marine resources are viewed by the Heiltsuk as a direct threat to our ability to continue our way of life, and as a grave risk to our aboriginal rights and title.”
For more information, please contact: Philip Hogan, Heiltsuk Nation 250-957-2381; Otto Langer, David Suzuki Foundation 604-732-4228; Angela McCue, Sierra Legal Defence Fund 604-790-0745; or Jean Kavanagh, David Suzuki Foundation
604-732-4228.
