Safety first

Re: “Teck Resources faces lawsuit,” Dec. 21.

For over 100 years, Trail Operations has operated as a refinery and smelter in the West Kootenays. Our facility refines and recycles everything from metal concentrates to used batteries into metals and fertilizers that we all rely on.

Our people live, work and raise their families in Trail. No one cares more about the health and safety of people in this region than those of us who live here.

We are supportive of the efforts of residents of Northport, Wash., south of Trail, to determine what is causing any unusual rates of illness in their community. We have not seen similar rates of illness in Trail. Further, a 2004 human health study relating to inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) by the U.S. Department of Health found no link between the rate of IBD in Northport and in other counties in northeast Washington and Trail Operations. And, a recent study by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control found rates of IBD in Trail were far lower and not comparable to those reported in Northport.

We have invested more than $1.5 billion at Trail Operations to modernize the facility and improve its environmental performance.

Trail Operations has seen a 95 per cent decrease in emissions of metals to air and water since the mid-1990s. We are committed to improving our performance and ensuring the West Kootenay region remains a great place to live and work.

Greg Belland, Trail, B.C. Greg Belland is general manager,

Teck Trail Operations.