Grand Chief wants plant shut

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An explosion at the Swan Hills Waste Treatment Centre in northern Alberta is just one more reason to shut the place down, said Grand Chief Jim Badger of the Lesser Slave Lake Indian Regional Council.

According to the Alberta Environmental Protection department, at about 6:20 p.m., on July 21, an explosion caused one of two incinerator buildings to be shut down indefinitely. The cause of the explosion is believed to have occurred when benzene gas ignited in the incinerator. Government investigators as well as staff at the plant analyzed and monitored air samples in and around the site. They found that PCB's had also been released. Those readings were four times higher than acceptable levels.

The explosion and subsequent PCB contamination means that action must to be taken against the plant, said Badger.

"It's got to be shut down, without a doubt," he said..

He said the urgency to close the plant down was heightened last year when the company announced a leak of PCB's, dioxins and furans into the air. Although the leak happened in October, news and results of it weren't released by Environmental Protection until November.

The dangers of that leak were down-played by provincial health officer Dr. John Waters at a news conference in May.

Contaminants found in the meat of wild animals near the plant "pose no immediate threat to human health," Waters said. He did add that no more than 13 ounces of meat cut from animals hunted within a 30 km. radius of the plant should be consumed during any given month.

Area residents who rely on the wildlife for food were angered with the news. Now, with this latest incident, the calls to shut the plant down are stronger. With two incidents and the potential for further contamination coming in less than a year, Badger joked that the Aboriginal communities might not have to work too hard to lobby the government for action.

"I don't think they even need me to bring them down. They are doing a hell of a good job by themselves," joked Badger just an hour after hearing of the latest incident.

Along with the risk of contaminating more wildlife, Badger is upset about the lack of information coming from the waste treatment centre in the wake of this mishap. He said it smacks of mismanagement and is a replay of the October leak.

"The concern again here is that nobody was informed . . . they've obviously tried to contain the information," Badger said.

The 7,000 Aboriginal resident in the Swan Hills area, including hunters and trappers, should have been told as soon as it happened, said Badger.

The mayor and manager of the town of Swan Hills, located 18 km. from the plant, said they were informed promptly.

Manager Brad Watson said the company's track record for communications has been excellent since the October leak. Company representative make regular reports to town council members at monthly meetings.

Bovar president Monty Davis said people in the area should not be alarmed about the explosion.

"We don't believe that anyone is in danger in the area or in the environment. It was just fortunate that no one was injured in the explosion," he said.

The day following the explosion, Davis said it was not clear how much of the benzene gas was burned up in the explosion and how much might still be in the air.

He said that PCB's were not involved, however, he admitted that large quantities of benzene can cause cancer.

After the Environmental Protection investigation, however, Davis learned that PCB's were released, but said the levels were barely significant.

"You have to understand that this was less than one millionth of a gram in a cubic meter."

He said the PCB's were floating in the air inside the incinerator building. When the explosion occurred, that air was released to the outside.

The amount released, according to Alberta Environment was put at .478 parts per billion. Normal levels at the plant are at .153 parts per billion.

Davis said Occupational Health and Safety allow up to 500 parts per illion, so "this is one one thousandth of that amount on that day."

Not only was the amount released microscopic, he said, but the range the PCB"s traveled was also small.

"I doubt you can detect it much further than the [plant's] fence-line."

PCB levels were back to normal the day after the explosion.

Health concerns may be exaggerated, he said, adding that none of his employees have developed health problems and the PCB content in the workers' blood is lower than an average Canadian's.

Reports of animal deformities are more likely the result of natural parasites and bacteria, said Davis, not the result of the plant.

"It happens naturally and its happened forever," he said.

Those kinds of assurances don't sit well with Grand Chief Badger.

He has seen physical deformities of animals in the area. The deformities, he believes, are a result of the plant's operations.

"We have seen moose that have white growths on the heart bag itself . . . I've seen a kidney that falls apart . . . I've got a picture of a growth that looks like a penis sticking out of the moose's back," said Badger.

Health Canada has plans to study the communities near the plant to study emission levels.

The study will begin on Sept. 6 and run for nine months. Information collected will be handed over to the communities.

Badger and other representatives from the Swan Hills area will be in Edmonton on Sept. 8, for environmental appeal board hearings, trying to have the plant's license to operate revoked.

Burning of hazardous wastes have been suspended at the Swan Hills plant until September 1.