On March 7, these citizens noticed black dust on the snow on their land. Concerned about the situation, they contacted the Ministry of Environment. The dust came from Noranda 5’s tailings pond at the Horne Smelter, a park located about 500 meters behind their homes.
The department conducted seven samplings at different locations in the area and the results show that a significant amount of heavy metals ended up on the properties of these citizens.
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Iron is the most abundant metal, but the situation doesn’t worry Marc Olivier, a professor and researcher at the University of Sherbrooke and the Center for Technological Transfer in Industrial Ecology
Iron does not cause any problems at first, since our body is a large consumer of iron. So even if you’re exposed to ample sources of iron, don’t expect any problems, he explains.
A worker is busy decontaminating the patio of a home on Lac Pelletier.
Photo: Radio Canada / Jean-Marc Belzile
The presence of other metals like lead, copper and arsenic should be taken more seriously, according to Olivier. It must be ensured that the remaining metals remain on the ground and are not constantly present in the breathing air of the residents.
Is the contamination immobilized? Is it lying on the ground and entangled in dense or dense vegetation? Or, on the contrary, is it contamination on a bare surface that is easily caught by the wind and pushed towards the dwellings? He notes that this must also be taken into account.
Acting Regional Director of Public Health, Dr. Stéphane Trépanier is not worried about the health of the residents. He said he advised citizens last March not to let children play in the snow or animals outside and to take certain measures to prevent dust from entering the house.
If the people of Lac Pelletier have respected these simple gestures, no, I’m not worried about their health, he mentions.
Horne Foundry workers went near Lac Pelletier last March to decontaminate the affected land. (file photo)
Photo: Radio Canada / Jean-Marc Belzile
Residents want answers
Two months after the event, local residents say they are still waiting for answers to their questions.
We feel a little alone because we haven’t received any replies since the event, neither from the Department of Health, nor from the Department of Environment, nor from the Horne Foundry. We don’t know what will happen next, says Mélissa Boileau.
It’s exhausting because we live in the unknown, adds Guylaine Godbout.
The Department of the Environment asked during the event that the Horne Foundry remove all dust on the snow around the houses, which they did. The operation lasted several days, then the citizens remained without news.
No one came to tell me what we’re really doing behind our house. Will we test our fountain? Will we test our soil from time to time to see what happens? Nobody came to us with it, says Guylaine Godbout.
Lawn was also uprooted in several places during the work.
Photo: Radio Canada / Jean-Marc Belzile
In the opinion of the state health director, even more in-depth analyzes should actually be carried out on the drinking water of the residents.
What is certain is that dust trickles into the forest, into the melting snow. We want to address the well situation as soon as possible to see if there are no consequences, says Dr. Trepanier.
Guylaine Godbout also wonders if this is the first time such an event has continued.
I still have dust on my roof. I still see dust all over my conservatory tower, on all my windows. We ask ourselves: Do we wash this with our rags and then rinse it out? We don’t know what to do. That’s the hard part, she says.
Residents near Lac Pelletier were very concerned about the presence of mine tailings that fell on their land last March. (file photo)
Photo: Radio Canada / Jean-Marc Belzile
Residents are also concerned about the value of their homes. If they want to sell their properties in the next few years, they are now obliged to submit a declaration of contaminated sites.
A home is life’s biggest investment, and that’s where we remain in the unknown. We don’t know if our house is really worth what we put into it, says Mélissa Boileau.
Works that leave traces
The snow clearing works also affected the lands of the residents of the sector. You want compensation. One of them believes that his swimming pool was particularly punctured during the work.
It was extremely invasive. If you have the impression that you are no longer at home, even if you are under your own roof, it is a bit like that. There were also breaks, corners of the house, notes Mélissa Boileau.
Shovel hits pierced the tarpaulin of this basin in some places.
Photo: Radio Canada / Jean-Marc Belzile
Horne Foundry employees contacted local residents on several occasions. Discussions are still ongoing between the company and the Ministry of the Environment to determine the continuation of work to decontaminate the sector.
dr Stéphane Trépanier believes that whatever is left must be removed. As far as I know, if there are still traces of these metals after the snow has melted, they must also be collected, he says.