Salvaterra letter ignored problems with CNSC report
Re: Letter about BWXT misrepresented facts:
Dec. 11
Dr. Rosana Salvaterra’s letter omits important information about the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission’s (CNSC) August field testing and subsequent report released on Oct. 31.
This work was ordered by the president of the CNSC after CNSC staff did not perform a statistical analysis of their own results and declared the BWXT Peterborough site “safe” despite their data showing alarming increases in beryllium in areas around the BWXT plant. During the March hearings, intervenors learned (among other issues) that CNSC staff did not realize that there was no control sampling site until more than four years after the start of their monitoring program.
Staff also “found” errors in their work that had been previously unreported. The Oct. 31 report doubles this “found” error to 80 per cent, which is like saying the population of Canada is 37 million, give or take 29.6 million.
Since being told that they had a problem with beryllium, the CNSC has worked very hard to discredit its own data. Dr. Salvaterra describes the CNSC’s work as “meticulous.” I can think of many words to describe the CNSC’s work in Peterborough but “meticulous” is not one of them.
Dr. Salvaterra correctly states that beryllium is found naturally in soil, in what she calls “background” beryllium. There is no debate that the soil levels of beryllium around BWXT are safe.
What concerns community members and should concern the MOH are the unresolved increases in soil beryllium levels. These unresolved increases can only be caused by airborne beryllium. Unlike beryllium found in soil, airborne beryllium is extremely toxic.
Standards for airborne beryllium became much more stringent after the year 2000, when the United States Department of Energy admitted that it colluded with the U.S. beryllium industry to under-report its toxic effects.
Dr. Salvaterra’s pursuit of the truth is laudable. However, criticizing private citizens while remaining silent about the CNSC’s failure to report and act upon unresolved increases in soil beryllium will not benefit the physical or mental well-being of those living near this facility.
Peter Harris, Peterborough