CANCER CAUSING BENZENE
Updated Sat, April 27, 2024
INEOS Styrolution Canada Ltd in Canada's "Chemical Valley" in Sarnia
By Wa Lone
(Reuters) -Canada's Aamjiwnaang First Nation declared a state of emergency due to a chemical release from INEOS Styrolution's plastic manufacturing plant in Sarnia, Ontario, the Indigenous group said.
The Frankfurt-based company, a unit of privately owned INEOS Group was issued a compliance order by the provincial environment ministry on April 18 to investigate the cause of the leak at its Ontario factory, which began earlier in April. The state of emergency will stay in place unless the discharge of benzene drops to acceptable levels, the First Nation said late Thursday.
The company shut down its facility on April 20 and the Ontario government is working with the First Nation to ensure public safety, the provincial environment ministry said.
INEOS confirmed in a statement on Saturday that it had shut down the Sarnia plant for maintenance and to address an unspecified mechanical issue. It did not address the extent or cause of the chemical release.
The plant produces raw material for products used in medical devices, automotive components and toys, according to its website.
Ontario's environment department said it is investigating the elevated benzene emission.
Aamjiwnaang First Nation, which has 1,000 residents, is surrounded by industrial facilities.
The state of emergency will allow the community to acquire more resources to tackle the situation, Aamjiwnaang Chief Christopher Plain said in a Facebook post.
Darren Henry, an Aamjiwnaang First Nation councillor, told Reuters that at least 10 people have visited hospital in the past two weeks with scratchy eyes, breathing troubles and headaches.
The emergency declaration comes as thousands of delegates gathered in Ottawa this week to attend United Nations talks to rein in soaring plastic pollution.
Janelle Nahmabin, an Aamjiwnaang councillor who is attending the talks, said the incident underscores why some countries and environmental groups want to make sure the treaty also addresses how plastics are made.
"I'm hopeful that us being here and this unfortunate example opens the eyes of the decision-makers in the room, as well as all global citizens," she said.
(Reporting by Wa Lone; Additional reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Diane Craft and Chris Reese)
Aamjiwnaang First Nation declares state of emergency over industry benzene leak
The Canadian Press
Fri, April 26, 2024
OTTAWA — Aamjiwnaang First Nation is declaring a state of emergency over a benzene leak linked to a neighbouring petrochemical facility.
The community near Sarnia, Ont., which is surrounded by industrial facilities, raised the alarm last week as citizens fell ill and closed its offices to limit exposure to the cancer-causing substance.
Leaders from the First Nation and international environment advocates also wrote to the federal environment minister on Thursday asking him to take immediate steps to ensure the Ineos Styrolution plant remains closed until Aamjiwnaang deems it safe to reopen.
The plant began a shutdown on April 20, two days after a provincial compliance order demanded the company take steps to fix the benzene pollution problem.
The company described the shutdown in one media report as temporary, calling the health and safety of staff and the community "paramount," adding the plant would reopen once a "mechanical issue" was addressed.
Janelle Nahmabin, an elected councillor with the First Nation, says high levels of benzene have thrown the community into peril with no end in sight.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 26, 2024.
The Canadian Press
Ontario First Nation declares state of emergency amid skyrocketing benzene levels
Story by Patti Sonntag, Carolyn Jarvis and Andrew Russell • 2d •
Aamjiwnaang First Nation issued a warning on April 16 after extremely high levels of the cancer-causing chemical benzene were detected in the air.© (Global News)
Aamjiwnaang First Nation, near Sarnia, Ont., has declared a state of emergency after a significant spike in the cancer-causing substance benzene was detected as a chemical plant began to shut down.
Hourly benzene readings as high as 191.3 ug/m3 were detected at noon on April 25, by a real-time air monitor on the First Nation’s northern border. Wind direction indicated the high levels appeared to be connected to a plant shutdown underway at INEOS Styrolution, a chemical manufacturer. The manufacturer is addressing a mechanical issue, it told Global News last week.
The data from the air monitor has not yet been verified. Ontario’s environment ministry has set the annual average limit for benzene at 0.45 ug/m3. The province has not set an hourly limit.
Video: Ont. chemical plant temporarily shuts down after residents get sick
In a press release, Chief Christopher Plain urged any community members who feel unsafe at home “due to the ongoing and excessive discharge” from the facility to contact the band office. An administrator will help members to arrange alternative housing, according to the statement.
On social media late Thursday, many community members expressed concern and confusion as to whether they needed to evacuate.
"While declaring a local state of emergency is a serious measure, Aamjiwnaang is doing so in order to … ensure we have adequate resources at our disposal in the event that further action is required," according to the notice.
Jada Henry, a resident of Aamjiwnaang First Nation, said she helped a friend on the north side of the community evacuate their home tonight.
Her family is also wrestling with the difficult decision to leave the home she shares with her family, which include her young niece and nine-year old nephew.
“My heart is really hurting for my community,” Henry told Global News. “We've considered maybe tomorrow night we should evacuate our home, to keep them safe.”
Aamjiwnaang residents Jason Plain and Samantha Bressette evacuated to a Best Western hotel in the Village of Point Edward, a roughly 10-minute drive north from their First Nation.
“It feels like an attack on our community," Plain said. "It's sad.”
Bressette said the hotel rooms and hallways are filled with residents from Aamjiwnaang, seeking shelter from the toxic air
While it’s unclear how many residents are staying at the hotel, Bressette said there could be up to 100 people from the First Nation.
“I posted on Facebook asking any of my friends if they would take in me, my boyfriend, and my dog and two cats so we could get out of that air,” she said. “I started freaking out in a way, because that's a high (Benzene) level.”
The state of emergency followed a community-wide alert from INEOS earlier on Wednesday, warning that there could be “temporary spikes” in benzene levels during some stages of the plant’s shutdown.
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“Ensuring the health and safety of our employees and community is paramount,” the company stated in a community alert issued April 20, adding that operations will resume after it addresses the issue.
The company did not specify whether the shutdown is related to spikes in benzene levels detected last week, reaching 115 ug/m3 (micrograms per cubic metre) on April 16, according to unverified real-time data. Dozens of the First Nation’s residents reported feeling ill, and an unknown number were hospitalized.
Multiple sources within the First Nation told Global News they were not aware of any planned shutdown scheduled for this month.
Before declaring the state of emergency, the First Nation’s leadership issued alerts to its members earlier on Wednesday afternoon to stay away from the northern border. For the past three weeks, air monitors between the First Nation and the INEOS plant have been detecting spikes as high as 150 ug/m3 per hou
Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks issued a provincial order last Thursday against INEOS, giving the chemical manufacturer a week to create a written plan to address the high levels, two weeks to implement new procedures to warn the public about high levels of these toxic emissions, and less than a month to complete an investigation into the apparent source of the chemical leak.
In the order, the province stated that INEOS is a “primary source” of the high benzene levels.
At the federal level, Environment Canada has an open enforcement file related to the INEOS facility under the Environmental Emergencies regulations, Global News has learned.
David R. MacDonald, the operations manager and interim site director for INEOS Styrolution, stated on April 18 that the company was “carefully reviewing” concerns raised by Aamjiwnaang First Nation regarding benzene readings from the INEOS site.
“The site works closely with the (Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks) to ensure we stay within the prescribed emissions limits,” MacDonald wrote in an email.
INEOS did not immediately respond to Global News’ request for comment on the state of emergency, nor did Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment.
Story by Patti Sonntag, Carolyn Jarvis and Andrew Russell • 2d •
Aamjiwnaang First Nation issued a warning on April 16 after extremely high levels of the cancer-causing chemical benzene were detected in the air.© (Global News)
Aamjiwnaang First Nation, near Sarnia, Ont., has declared a state of emergency after a significant spike in the cancer-causing substance benzene was detected as a chemical plant began to shut down.
Hourly benzene readings as high as 191.3 ug/m3 were detected at noon on April 25, by a real-time air monitor on the First Nation’s northern border. Wind direction indicated the high levels appeared to be connected to a plant shutdown underway at INEOS Styrolution, a chemical manufacturer. The manufacturer is addressing a mechanical issue, it told Global News last week.
The data from the air monitor has not yet been verified. Ontario’s environment ministry has set the annual average limit for benzene at 0.45 ug/m3. The province has not set an hourly limit.
Video: Ont. chemical plant temporarily shuts down after residents get sick
In a press release, Chief Christopher Plain urged any community members who feel unsafe at home “due to the ongoing and excessive discharge” from the facility to contact the band office. An administrator will help members to arrange alternative housing, according to the statement.
On social media late Thursday, many community members expressed concern and confusion as to whether they needed to evacuate.
"While declaring a local state of emergency is a serious measure, Aamjiwnaang is doing so in order to … ensure we have adequate resources at our disposal in the event that further action is required," according to the notice.
Jada Henry, a resident of Aamjiwnaang First Nation, said she helped a friend on the north side of the community evacuate their home tonight.
Her family is also wrestling with the difficult decision to leave the home she shares with her family, which include her young niece and nine-year old nephew.
“My heart is really hurting for my community,” Henry told Global News. “We've considered maybe tomorrow night we should evacuate our home, to keep them safe.”
Global News
Ontario takes action against chemical plant after First Nation members fall illDuration 2:4 View on Watch
Aamjiwnaang residents Jason Plain and Samantha Bressette evacuated to a Best Western hotel in the Village of Point Edward, a roughly 10-minute drive north from their First Nation.
“It feels like an attack on our community," Plain said. "It's sad.”
Bressette said the hotel rooms and hallways are filled with residents from Aamjiwnaang, seeking shelter from the toxic air
While it’s unclear how many residents are staying at the hotel, Bressette said there could be up to 100 people from the First Nation.
“I posted on Facebook asking any of my friends if they would take in me, my boyfriend, and my dog and two cats so we could get out of that air,” she said. “I started freaking out in a way, because that's a high (Benzene) level.”
Residents of Ontario First Nation sickened after high benzene levels detectedDuration 2:48 View on Watch
The state of emergency followed a community-wide alert from INEOS earlier on Wednesday, warning that there could be “temporary spikes” in benzene levels during some stages of the plant’s shutdown.
More on Science and Tech
Invasive strep: ‘Don’t wait’ to seek care, N.S. woman warns on long road to recovery
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“Ensuring the health and safety of our employees and community is paramount,” the company stated in a community alert issued April 20, adding that operations will resume after it addresses the issue.
The company did not specify whether the shutdown is related to spikes in benzene levels detected last week, reaching 115 ug/m3 (micrograms per cubic metre) on April 16, according to unverified real-time data. Dozens of the First Nation’s residents reported feeling ill, and an unknown number were hospitalized.
Multiple sources within the First Nation told Global News they were not aware of any planned shutdown scheduled for this month.
Before declaring the state of emergency, the First Nation’s leadership issued alerts to its members earlier on Wednesday afternoon to stay away from the northern border. For the past three weeks, air monitors between the First Nation and the INEOS plant have been detecting spikes as high as 150 ug/m3 per hou
Ontario health review links Sarnia-area air pollution to increased cancer riskDuration 2:38 View on Watch
Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks issued a provincial order last Thursday against INEOS, giving the chemical manufacturer a week to create a written plan to address the high levels, two weeks to implement new procedures to warn the public about high levels of these toxic emissions, and less than a month to complete an investigation into the apparent source of the chemical leak.
In the order, the province stated that INEOS is a “primary source” of the high benzene levels.
At the federal level, Environment Canada has an open enforcement file related to the INEOS facility under the Environmental Emergencies regulations, Global News has learned.
David R. MacDonald, the operations manager and interim site director for INEOS Styrolution, stated on April 18 that the company was “carefully reviewing” concerns raised by Aamjiwnaang First Nation regarding benzene readings from the INEOS site.
“The site works closely with the (Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks) to ensure we stay within the prescribed emissions limits,” MacDonald wrote in an email.
INEOS did not immediately respond to Global News’ request for comment on the state of emergency, nor did Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment.
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