In Rouyn-Noranda, where the Horne Foundry is singled out for its emissions of pollutants, particularly arsenic, the population is more at risk of developing lung cancer than in the rest of Quebec. What’s going on in this town in Abitibi-Témiscamingue? What exactly is arsenic? We answer your questions.
• Read also: 4 things to know about Glencore, the multinational behind the Rouyn-Noranda plant
What is arsenic?
It is a chemical element that can circulate in the air via fine particles and thus enter the lungs. There are releases of arsenic into the air from certain types of mines, smelters or manufacturing plants, explains the Canadian Cancer Society.
Why is it dangerous for health?
It is a known carcinogen. Its very long-term exposure can cause an increased risk of cancer or harm a child’s development, says DD Clodel Naud-Bellavance, family doctor in Rouyn-Noranda.
Arsenic is “carcinogenic” as soon as it is present in the air, explains the DD Naud-Bellavance. “Already there, we would like as little as possible” to ensure better air quality, she adds.
The doctor points out that this chemical has an impact on the neurological development of children as soon as it exceeds 15 nanograms per cubic meter.
Why is the concentration in the air higher in Rouyn-Noranda?
In this city of Abitibi-Témiscamingue, the Horne Foundry, which has been producing copper since 1927, is authorized to generate 100 nanograms per cubic meter (ng/m3) of arsenic, while the limit for the rest of the province is 3 ng/m3. It is a sort of acquired right.
The average recorded there is 87 ng/m3. “And that’s an average. Some days, it can reach 400 or more. In the history of Rouyn, we have already measured 1,000 nanograms in a day, ”says the DD Naud-Bellavance.
“You will never be able to tell when you see a patient that it is because of the foundry, but when you step back and see the overall figures, you see the impact of arsenic on the population “, she specifies.
Why are we talking about it now?
Last week, the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ) published a report on the situation in Rouyn-Noranda. If the status quo continues, there could be 13 to 554 additional cases of lung cancer per million population. Figures that would drop to 6.7 and 288 additional cases if emissions in the city were lowered to Quebec standards.
The INSP calculation is based on an exposure scenario 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for 70 years.
“We go well beyond the normally acceptable risks that we want to avoid when we are exposed to such contaminants. It is not because these figures represent smaller risks in terms of number that we must avoid the challenge that this represents, ”explained Dr. Luc Boileau, national director of public health.
Last month, Radio-Canada revealed that the former national director of public health, Dr.r Horacio Arruda, had recent data on the state of health of the city’s citizens removed, which was to be included in a biomonitoring report, in 2019.
“It shocked and shaken us to see the data between Rouyn-Noranda and everywhere in Quebec. This is what brought the subject to the fore, “says the DD Naud-Bellavance.
The doctor, who grew up in Rouyn and has been practicing there for five years, adds that the subject of the impact of arsenic in the air on health has been discussed by residents of the place for quite some time. “Richard Desjardins [le chanteur] even talked about it in a film in 1984”, she underlines, referring to the documentary Noranda which addresses this issue.
The Dr Arruda defended himself by arguing that he never wanted to hide this information, but rather was waiting for the results of a more in-depth study carried out by the National Institute of Public Health (INSPQ).
Concerned professionals
Last week, about fifty doctors from Abitibi-Témiscamingue challenged the government in a co-signed letter demanding that arsenic emissions from the Horne Foundry meet the standards imposed everywhere else in Quebec.
The Ordre des chimistes du Québec (OCQ) for its part argued in a press release that Glencore, owner of the foundry, and the government are accountable to the population. This one should know the measures put in place to protect the public, they judge.
Last week, Quebec Premier François Legault said he wouldn’t rule out shutting down the smelter altogether if it doesn’t come up with a plan to reduce emissions to a safe level for the population.
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