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Pulp and paper mills pollute while federal government snoozes |
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October 17, 2008
On the anniversary of one of Canada’s worst chlorine spills at a pulp and paper mill, a new report finds that the federal government continues to neglect their responsibility to enact and enforce pollution prevention laws.
Download Pulp and Paper Pollution: The Toxic Legacy of Federal Neglect
The 1994 spill of chlorine dioxide at the Powell River mill in British Columbia was the worst chlorine accident in BC history. Tragedy was averted only because the gas blew out to sea, where the Coast Guard warned boats to stay 1.6 kilometers offshore for two days. In the 14 years following the spill, poor regulatory enforcement makes a repeat of this event a real possibility.
“For decades the federal government has failed to adequately protect human health and the environment from the toxic legacy of pulp mills,” said Anna Tilman, author of the report. “It is time that the Canadian government takes the dangers posed by pulp and paper mills seriously.”
Entitled Pulp and Paper Pollution: The Toxic Legacy of Federal Neglect the report details failure in government oversight of the pulp and paper industry. These include barriers to information access on emissions, inadequate regulations and enforcement, and ineffective toxic substance management programs.
“The data is alarming in its demonstration of pulp mill contribution to the toxic load in communities,” said Delores Broten of Reach for Unbleached, the report’s sponsor. “It is unacceptable that our federal government is ignoring its responsibilities to regulate industry and provide information to the public concerned about their exposure to toxic chemicals.”
The report compiles all obtainable data on the toxic emissions of Canadian pulp and paper mills, while highlighting the significant gaps in information. It highlights numerous serious problems with federal and provincial regulatory systems including: inconsistent implementation; gaps in regulations; lack of consideration for Best Available Technology; and inconsistencies in mill reporting.
The communities around pulp and paper mills are the hardest hit. As mills close across the country, the toxic legacy of these sites is being left to the public to deal with.
“In addition to the tragic loss of jobs in these communities, the same citizens are saddled with the menace of toxic sites,” said John Jackson, Director of Clean Production and Toxics at Great Lakes United. “It’s bad enough when the largest employer in a town suddenly closes shop, but the willful blindness of these multinational corporations who leave behind a toxic legacy haunts communities who have to live with the pollution.”
Pulp and Paper Pollution: The Toxic Legacy of Federal Neglect stresses the need to develop strong enforceable regulations, institute credible and verifiable monitoring, and deal with the legacy of contaminated sites.
Download Pulp and Paper Pollution: The Toxic Legacy of Federal Neglect [pdf]
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Toxic Legacy of Federal Neglect