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Pulp mill sludge threatens environment |
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Nanaimo News Bulletin
Oct 04 2007
To the Editor,
Bravo to Nanaimo city council and the Regional District of Nanaimo for taking steps toward environmental sanity. Re: Going green, Sept. 18 – collecting organic waste for composting to reduce strain on the local landfill. If only our provincial government would take the same tack.
B.C. Environment Minister Barry Penner recently signed an amendment to the Environmental Management Act giving pulp mills carte blanche to dump contaminated sludge on Crown lands, agricultural lands, or any private property where the owner agrees, and call such sludge “soil amendments.”
See BC Groups Protest Sludge Landspreading
There will be no indication on title that contaminated waste has been
dumped there; no possibility for future buyers or municipalities to
take action against the companies or provincial government for any
illness that could develop as a result of contact with these toxins.
Pulp mill sludge contains heavy metals, such as mercury, lead, arsenic
(the U.S. Center of Disease Control’s top three neurotoxins), and pulp
mills regularly dump these into our air, soil and water.
Does anyone believe pulp mills are going to clean up the sludge before
they dump it on our supposedly pristine crown and agricultural lands
when Mr. Penner just gave them carte blanche to pollute every square
kilometre of beautiful B.C.?
With all the fuss about lead-painted pencils and toys from China being
dangerous to children’s health, has anyone looked at the pollution
mills have already caused and its effects on our long-term health?
Christel Martin
Nanaimo
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