Aamjiwnaang First Nation says high chemical levels making members sick, calls for Sarnia facility shutdown
Aamjiwnaang First Nation in Sarnia, Ont., is calling on all levels of government to shut down a facility after data indicates high levels of a harmful chemical were present in the air.
In a news release, the First Nation said it sent its em‐ ployees homes Tuesday as they were complaining of headaches, nausea and dizzi‐ ness - symptoms associated with high levels of benzene. According to preliminary data from pollutant monitors in the region, multiple times this month, the air quality was recorded as poor and moderate from benzene lev‐ els.
The First Nation blames the pollution on the opera‐ tions of INEOS Styrolution, which produces chemicals used in plastic and rubber products. The facility is just one of many industrial com‐ panies in an area that envi‐ ronmental advocates have called "chemical valley."
Aamjiwnaang's band of‐ fice is down the street from the INEOS facility.
"Immediate reforms are needed to address the sys‐ temic racism which pervades the environmental protection regime and allows industry proponents, such as INEOS, to continue with 'business as usual,'" reads part of the statement released by the First Nation.
Benzene, according to the World Health Organization, is associated with a range of "acute and long-term adverse health effects and diseases," including cancer and blood issues.
INEOS Styrolution told CBC news in an email Wednesday that it under‐ stands Aamjiwnaang First Nation's concerns and is "carefully reviewing this data and any concerns."
It said that site works closely with the Ministry of the Environment, Conserva‐ tion and Parks to "ensure we stay within the prescribed emissions limits."
"We uphold stringent en‐ vironmental and safety pro‐ tocols to meet all regulated standards" set by the min‐ istry, the company said. "Our dedication to these stan‐ dards underscores our unwa‐ vering commitment to safe‐ guarding our environment and the people within it."
CBC News is also waiting for comment from the min‐ istry.
In an email, Environment and Climate Change Canada directed CBC News to a state‐ ment it released in February.
The statement says the government is working on draft regulations to reduce industry emissions of harm‐ ful volatile organic com‐ pounds (VOCs), which include benzene. The public will be able to weigh in on these un‐ til April 24.
The regulations would "re‐ quire facilities to install vapour control equipment on tanks and loading opera‐ tions, as well as to inspect and repair that equipment for defects on a regular basis."
In its statement, the gov‐ ernment thanked Aamjiw‐ naang First Nation for "their advocacy and research re‐ garding health effects in their community caused by expo‐ sure to VOCs from industrial facilities."
'We are screaming,' says councillor
The industrial area in the region has longstanding con‐ cerns over pollution due to the number of industrial plants.
The First Nation said that recently, it seems the prob‐ lem has been getting worse.
"Despite continuous fence line monitoring and oversight from both the provincial and federal governments, the lev‐ el of benzene being reported within Aamjiwnaang's moni‐ toring stations continually ex‐ ceeds regulated standards and, more alarming, appears to be increasing," reads its news release.
Aamjiwnaang Coun. Janel‐ le Nahmabin told CBC News that she feels her voice as an elected official isn't being heard.
"We are screaming that this is what happens with al‐ lowing things to continue as normal. They can't. Every‐ body has to become aware of the effects of pollution, how it affects us, because if we are not advocating, who else is going to advocate for us?" said Nahmabin, also known as Red Cloud Woman and part of the Bear Clan.
Nahmabin said she also heard from a parent who brought their child to the hospital recently as a result of symptoms they believe are the result of high benzene levels.
She also said this recent spike in benzene in the air has impacted a ceremony. A sacred teepee is up to re‐ member someone who had died, but the ceremony was halted because of concerns over air quality safety.
Benzene a 'concern' in Sarnia: government re‐ views
Nine air monitoring sta‐ tions are set up throughout Sarnia, which are operated by the provincial govern‐ ment, Aamjiwnaang First Na‐ tion and the Sarnia-Lambton Environmental Association.
The data from these feeds a real-time website called Clean Air Sarnia and Area, which the community uses to monitor pollutant levels. The site includes a disclaimer that since the data is in real time, it might not be the most ac‐ curate and is considered "un‐ verified."
The website says the Min‐ istry of the Environment may alert the community when pollutant concentrations are "very poor" and fall above the Ambient Air Quality Cri‐ teria.
A Ministry of the Environ‐ mental report released in March on an air exposure re‐ view in Sarnia found benzene levels are a "concern" in some areas due to industrial emissions, specifically be‐ cause benzene could possi‐ bly increase the risk of leukemia, a blood cancer.
The review said steps should be taken to reduce levels of benzene "as much as possible," particularly in south Sarnia and the Aamjiw‐ naang First Nation reserve.
"We keep waiting for the ministry to show up for us, and it's not happening," Nahmabin said.
As this situation unfolds, Aamjiwnaang's environment co-ordinator, Cathleen O'Brien, is in Washington, D.C., with the federal govern‐ ment - at the National Envi‐ ronmental Justice Conference - speaking on a panel about this very issue.
O'Brien told CBC News in a phone call that as she was about to speak, her phone was going off from people back home to talk about what they're experiencing.
Despite alerts going to community members when pollutants are high, O'Brien said they feel the limits de‐ cided upon "are not protec‐ tive of human health" and don't "take into account the cumulative impact" of re‐ peated exposure to these chemicals.
"Consider choosing peo‐ ple over profits," she said.