CNSC report shows beryllium still a problem in neighbourhood

Citizens Against Radioactive Neighbourhoods (CARN) supports healthy and safe communities and opposes nuclear processor BWXT bringing yet more dangerous industrial contaminants to Peterborough.

BWXT emits beryllium, a class1carcin-ogen, which is one of the most toxic substances on earth. The BWXT stack on Monaghan Road emits beryllium 50 metres from 600 children at Prince of Wales Elementary School.

Children are doubly at risk from inhaling airborne beryllium and also from contact through soil in the schoolyard, in the school community garden, in their own backyards and in local parks. Synopsis of CNSC report:

The CNSC report acknowledges that there is beryllium at all 16 sample ID locations around the city

CNSC results at those locations indicate a clear upward trend of beryllium in the soil between 2014 and 2020

The CNSC does not provide any explanation for the significant increase in beryllium levels in 2019

The CNSC did not do any of its own airborne beryllium sampling from the stacks on Monaghan Road and instead used BWXT data

The CNSC does not acknowledge that beryllium can cause cancer or other illnesses

CARN response: BWXT is the only known industrial user of beryllium in Peterborough. No level of beryllium is safe. Even at very low levels, beryllium accumulates in the body and can cause disease.

The CNSC’s conclusions are based on changing methodologies. There has never been a consistent, continuous and comprehensive monitoring program for beryllium.

CNSC data has been disclosed infrequently and in an inaccessible manner.

Ten years of inadequate CNSC oversight cannot be corrected by one poorly executed sampling.

The CNSC president did not follow through on a promise to include local independent scientif----

ic participation in their July 2020 testing.

BWXT is presently having difficulty containing its beryllium emissions.

CARN is not confident that BWXT will manage uranium dioxide “dust” safely if it is allowed by CNSC to manufacture nuclear pellets.

If BWXT starts pelleting, it would be processing an additional 75 tons of uranium dioxide powder a month. That’s a lot of cumulative emissions on an already toxic legacy site.

Keep Peterborough healthy and safe! No pelleting in Peterborough!

Janice Keil (Charlotte St.), Kathryn Campbell (Bolivar St.), Jane Scott (Bolivar St.), Citizens Against Radioactive Neighbourhoods.