New study in Aamjiwnaang finds residents may face higher health risks caused by toxic substance in air
By Colin Graf
AAMJIWNAANG FIRST NATION— The results of a new air quality study in Aamjiwnaang First Nation, surrounded by chemical plants and oil refineries in Sarnia’s Chemical Valley, say residents face a higher risk of cancer from the toxic substance benzene in the air.
The study concludes the risk from exposure to benzene, a known-carcinogen, could produce up to 12 cancers above the average for one million people over 70 years of exposure, according to a summary provided at a Dec. meeting in the First Nation. For Aamjiwnaang, that increased risk amounts to less than one diagnosis above the average over 70 years, according to a summary in the Aamjiwnaang newsletter last summer. “While the number is not large, it is ‘significant’ and will be used in efforts to reduce our exposure,” the newsletter report states.
“The results do not show an ‘Oh my God, run!’ level of danger,” says Kristian Larsen, researcher from CAREX Canada, the group who conducted the research, at a recent meeting in the community. “[The findings] suggest something might be going on here, maybe we should investigate further.”
The report, which also involved Aamjiwnaang staff and Cancer Care Ontario, says more research should be done on cumulative effects of pollution over time, the effects of chemicals interacting with each other in humans, and other health problems associated with air pollution, such as asthma, respiratory infections, heart disease and stroke.
The higher statistical chance of cancer does not amount to an increased risk for any particular person in Aamjiwnaang, Larsen cautions.
Researchers found concentrations of benzene during the most recent period studied, 2015-16, ranged from two to four times over air quality standards developed by Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment. The highest concentrations among the four monitoring stations in south Sarnia and the Chemical Valley were found in Aamjiwnaang.
The study recommends further air monitoring, particularly near the community’s daycare centre, calls for stricter enforcement of pollution regulations on industry, and “more timely response” from government to industrial chemical spills and leaks.
The province made changes several years ago to speed up response in the Sarnia area to reports of industrial releases, a Ministry official says. While an officer is sent to investigate a problem in most parts of Ontario after three complaints, only one complaint is needed to trigger a response in this area, said Scott Morrison, Sarnia district manager with the Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks. Responders are ready 24/7 and are sent out “to every single call,” he says. The officer may be coming from outside the area, but someone is on site usually in under two hours following a call.
A new real-time air monitoring system established recently by industry and the Ministry should “definitely help improve” the level of data to allow for better studying of pollution patterns, says Larsen.
The study found air pollution levels in and around the First Nation have gradually decreased from two earlier time periods studied, 1995-96 and 2005-06.
“Continuing air pollution from the Chemical Valley is a violation of First Nations rights,” says Sharilyn Johnston, head of Aamjiwnaang’s Environment Department.
When she learns of new projects at local industries, Johnston asks for their air monitoring plans and arranges for air testing “canisters” to collect samples on the community’s territory.
“The bottom line is, if they’re emitting and anything comes over onto our territory, that’s an impact to rights… we’re not producers or users of benzene,” she said at the recent meeting.
The number of people diagnosed with cancer in the community is consistent with the rest of the Erie St. Clair region, stretching from Grand Bend on Lake Huron to Lake Erie and to Windsor, including Sarnia and the city of Chatham, according to a Community Cancer Profile prepared by Cancer Care Ontario. From 2001 to 2012, an average of four new cancers were reported each year in Aamjiwnaang.
Researchers reviewed results from 29 separate environmental and health studies in the First Nation and concluded there is a “lack of high-quality research on the effects of industrial pollution on human health outcomes at Aamjiwnaang and Sarnia.”
Planning is underway for the largest environmental health study in the Sarnia/Aamjiwnaang area. It will provide a comprehensive examination of whether chemical exposure from industry can be linked to health problems. Officials from both communities, along with local industry, have called for such a study for many years. The Sarnia Area Environmental Health Project is being led by the Ministry of Environment and is scheduled to issue a final report in 2021.