One of the most pressing environmental issues in Sault Ste. Marie is industrial pollution, and a new article about industrial accidents at Algoma Steel is adding fuel to that fire.
The article, published by The Narwhale and Environmental News Network, reports that from February 2019 to February 2020, Algoma Steel workers sustained 10 critical injuries and five cases of exposure to dangerous chemicals like benzine and hydrogen cyanide as well as asbestos.
In addition to exposure inside the plant, emissions to the outside, which affect the thousands of people living around and downwind of the plant, are a concern. According to The Narwhale/ENN article, Algoma Steel has a pollution standards exemption that allows it to emit the cancer-causing chemicals benzene and benzo-a-pyrene well above provincial limits. Such exemptions are concerning given that Sault Ste. Marie has the highest cancer rates in Ontario, according to Cancer Care Ontario. A 2019 study revealed clusters of a rare form of leukemia in four Ontario cities, including Sault Ste. Marie, especially in the P6C postal code area around the steel mill.
Meanwhile, work is proceeding towards building a ferrochrome smelter right next to the steel mill. A byproduct of this type of smelting is Chromium-VI, a known carcinogen that was made infamous by Erin Brockovich. Read a previous Clean North blog post about the smelter project.
We encourage all citizens to become informed about industrial emissions in the community, as pollution has a major impact on health, wellness, and the economy, and to look for opportunities to discuss this issue with government representatives at all levels.
Some resources:
- Government of Ontario Report Pollution and Spills page
- Government of Ontario Air Quality in Ontario page
- Ontario Clean Air Alliance
- Public Health Ontario Air Quality page
- Air Pollution in Ontario map
- Clean Air Partnership
- Options for Managing Industrial Air Pollution in Canada: The Use of Market-Based Instruments
