| Viewing Single Post From: Ontario's biggest PCB site | |
|---|---|
| SpookyTheCat | May 9 2008, 10:00 PM |
~Shortstop had me at Hi..~
  ![]](http://209.85.62.24/static/1/pip_r.png)
|
Ontario's biggest PCB site ENVIRONMENT By CHIP MARTIN Not only is the former Westinghouse site in London the largest PCB dump in Ontario, but there may be others here. And it's just one of many sites in Ontario where polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are stored, Environment Ministry officials confirmed yesterday. The revelations, which came at a media briefing on the eve of a public meeting to discuss a $56-million plan to clean up the London site, alarmed at least one city councillor. "We need more information about other sites," said Coun. Joni Baechler, an avid environmentalist. "I'm interested in where they are, how much is there and what should be done about them." Tina Dufresne, the ministry's district manager, couldn't identify other sites owned privately or by the ministry that contain the controversial compound -- found to be toxic to fish and birds and linked to concerns about cancer in humans. But she promised to provide a list, noting the 11-acre (4.45-hectare) Westinghouse site -- owned and monitored by the province since 1985 -- is by far the largest in Ontario and that it was her office that applied for money to clean it up. Environment ministry officials wouldn't commit to clean up other sites in the province after dealing with the Westinghouse site. Ali Haidar, leader of a citizens' group called London PCB Watch, which has been pressing for answers on behalf of Londoners who believe the compound has led to health problems for workers and neighbours exposed to it, said he has obtained a 2006 report from Environment Canada that shows Ontario is home to a staggering amount of in-use and stored PCBs. The report lists storage sites and found two in Ontario that have 76,000 tonnes in total, he said, noting "that's twice as much as the rest of Canada combined." The PCBs came to be on the Westinghouse site after PCB-contaminated soil was removed from nearby Walker Drain and Pottersburg Creek and stored in two earthen cells on land the ministry bought from the company for $2. Since 1985, the ministry has spent $30,000 a year to monitor the site and pump out and clean leachate. No escape of the chemical has been detected, Dufresne said. "The cleanup was a success," Dufresne said, noting monitoring of the watercourses found reduced levels of PCBs in fish. Dufresne said the decision to remove PCBs from the site at Huron Street and Clarke Road was triggered by provincial plans announced last fall to tackle toxic sites and the fact the cost to clean up the local site is about half what it was 10 years ago. The Westinghouse site was always intended to be temporary, she added. A further public meeting will be held once plans for the cleanup at finalized. Ultimately, the ministry hopes to clean the site to industrial standards and sell the property. ABOUT PCBS Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a class of organic compounds. Production ended in the 1970s. PCBs do not degrade well, are toxic to animals and a health risk to humans exposed to them. |
 |
|
| Ontario's biggest PCB site · Chatter Box | |
7:14 AM Nov 25
