[All] Fw: State of Emergency re: Benzene

[Lanteigne]

Letter to MPs & MPPs re: Aamjiwnaang and Benzene issues. 
Lulu 


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Begin forwarded message:

On Friday, April 26, 2024, 12:39 PM, Lanteigne <water.lulu at yahoo.ca> wrote:

Hello everyone
A state of emergency has been declared in Aamjiwnaang due to extremely high levels of Benzene being released from the INEOS Styrolution’s  chemical plant. 
Because we live downwind of Sarnia we must have regard for the impacts of benzene on our community’s health. Please monitor local levels and provide recommendations on how the community can stay safe and accommodate for the related health issues by informing and preparing the logistics to accommodate for what could be a public health crisis.

As a delegate of the Line 9 hearings one of the first things I asked Enbridge to do was to assure the monitoring for Benzene in wells adjacent to their oil lines as a precautionary approach. They declined. That chemical is an indicator of oil spills and leaks. It is a good thing to test for to maintain public health and to flag leaks. Our wells and water systems are so interconnected. We must stay vigilant to flag the risks early on to mitigate the harm. 
IARC classifies benzene as “carcinogenic to humans,” based on sufficient evidence that it causes acute myeloid leukemia (AML). IARC also notes that benzene exposure has been linked with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), multiple myeloma, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
American Cancer Society: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/chemicals/benzene.html 
Incidence, mortality rates for acute myeloid leukemia in Sarnia is 3 times the national average. The other high cancer levels for this rare cancer are in Ottawa, Hamilton, St. Catherine, Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie. 
The Hamilton board of health wanted to end ArcelorMittal Dofasco's air-quality exemptions including the exemption that allows for 22 times more benzene emissions than the provincial standard. It is one of many companies in Ontario that have received site specific exemptions for chemical releases that go beyond recommended health guidelines so we must consider the cumulative impacts of all sources that could influence public health within our Region and plan accordingly to mitigate risk.
Hamilton board of health wants to end ArcelorMittal Dofascos air-quality exemptions | CBC News 

  
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Hamilton board of health wants to end ArcelorMittal Dofascos air-quality exemptions | CBC News
 
Exemptions to Ontario’s air quality rules allow ArcelorMittal Dofasco to emit higher volumes of carcinogenic chemicals than is typically allowed, but Hamilton’s board of health is hoping that changes when those exemptions expire at the end of June.
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Benzene is a solvent used to move diluted bitumen and Aamjiwnaang had experienced high levels of exposure to it for decades.  Benzene has a safety limit of 0.1 ppb for occupational workers but 1.0 to 1.8 ppb exists in the diluent used by Enbridge.
Symptoms of exposure are Covid like with coughing and general lung irritation which could cause mucus.  It can result in lung failures and cancers. 
The pesticide Naphtha which contains Benzene is known to kill fish. This pesticide is a byproduct of the petrochemical industry. 
Koch Brothers who fund research in CRISPR were also federally indicted for covering up illegal dumping of cancer-causing benzene and convicted of falsifying documents. Court docs here.https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/2001/April/153enrd.htm
Here is the World Health Organization’s website speaking on the health risks of Benzene.  https://www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-change-and-health/chemical-safety-and-health/health-impacts/chemicals/benzene
Please monitor our local air quality and keep the public informed. Public health is shared responsibility and it’s ours to protect. 
Louisette Lanteigne700 Starflower Ave.N2V2L2 519-501-3848


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