Tougher emission standards ‘a baby step’
Provincial policy not expected to have big impact locally
Tougher provincial emission standards on two cancer-causing chemicals for new or expanding industrial plants in Hamilton are being called “a baby step” toward improving the city’s air quality.
Environment Hamilton executive director Lynda Lukasik said although she welcomes a new “cumulative effects policy” on benzene and benzo(a)pyrene, it doesn’t go nearly far enough.
She noted the policy announced by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change on April 26 exempts existing industry and doesn’t address 67 other chemicals regulated by stricter air standards enacted in 2005.
“If you think about the current sources of benzene and benzo(a)pyrene, it’s mostly the steel sector and industries associated with them,” said Lukasik, whose organization participated in an external working group consulted on the policy.
“I’m not anticipating we’re going to see a whole lot of impact from this first step, even in Hamilton. Hopefully more will come soon, and that’s part of what they’ve told us, that it’s the first step.”
A ministry background report states the policy takes effect on Oct. 1 and only applies to the Hamilton/Burlington and Sarnia/Corunna areas — the latter just for benzene — because monitoring shows the chemicals exceed carcinogen-based ambient air quality criteria.
The Hamilton area is broken down into three action levels depending on the cumulative cancer risk from emissions from multiple sources.
Level 1 covers areas with a lifetime cancer risk of one to 10 in a million and requires no further action beyond meeting the Ontario air standard, but triggers a periodic ministry review to determine if circumstances change.
Level 2, for areas with a 11 to 100 in a million cancer risk, may require a study of and use of best available pollution control methods, even if lesser technology could meet the normal standard.
Level 3, for lifetime cancer risks greater than 100 in a million, may also require a study and pollution controls “to achieve the lowest possible emission rates” based on comparable facilities globally.
Lukasik said aside from only covering two chemicals, the policy doesn’t consider the “synergistic effects” when different air pollutants mix together.
“Because we’ve got heavy industry here, unlike many other communities we’ve got an airshed that has a triple whammy,” she said.
“We’ve got mobile emissions from trucks, we’ve got transboundary pollution that comes in and impacts on our airshed, and we’ve got that heavy industrial component as well, so all the more reason for us to be concerned about this.”
A ministry posting on the province’s environmental registry states the policy will be reviewed within two years, including to consider adding other contaminants and geographic areas.