High toxin levels at former Domtar site lead to new provincial safety rules
High levels of dioxins and furans found on the former Domtar industrial lands in northeast Edmonton have prompted the Alberta government to issue new safety regulations for workers to wear additional protection and use decontamination facilities.
In a letter delivered to nearby homeowners on Thursday, the province said the enhanced measures were ordered after reviewing soil test results that were handed over by the landowner on July 13.
The tests, from an undeveloped portion of the site that formerly housed a wood-processing operation, found dioxins and furans in some locations at levels way beyond the human health threshold of 50 nanograms per kilogram.
One sample came back at 3,440 nanograms per kilogram, while two others were at 2,100 or above.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, deputy chief medical officer of health for Alberta Health, said such levels are the highest seen in recent years of testing.
The area in question is fenced off already and residents have been warned to stay off the property. However, workers going onto the site to do testing now will be required to observe extra protections.
“Workers will need to have the appropriate equipment ... different kinds of suits and masks,” Hinshaw said. “And whenever they are leaving, any vehicles, equipment or anything that’s been on the site will need to be decontaminated to make sure none of that dust leaves the site.”
Reinforced fencing and measures to control blowing dust also have been ordered.
The lands in question, north of Yellowhead Trail near 44 Street, served as a Domtar wood-treatment operation from 1924 to 1987. Cherokee Canada Inc. bought the property in 2010 to build a residential subdivision, but has found itself in a lengthy dispute with Alberta Environment.
Dozens of homes have been constructed in the western portion of the site, known as Verte Homesteader, which has been deemed safe for human health. The government’s main concerns pertain to uninhabited sections of the property.
Alberta Environment issued a statement Friday saying that Cherokee and Domtar carried out some testing of the area in the spring. But the department did not say when the results were completed or how long the companies held onto the results before turning them over to the government.
A spokesperson for Cherokee could not be reached for comment.
Alberta Environment also issued a separate order Thursday that called on the companies to clean up dioxins and furans from a section of a berm constructed on the south edge of Verte Homesteader.
The companies previously had been ordered to clean up only sections of the berm outside the community. However, preliminary sub-surface samples taken from the berm beside the community turned up high levels of contamination, Hinshaw said.
The area already is fenced off and shouldn’t pose a threat to residents’ health, she said.