MONTREAL – Experts are saying “don’t worry,” but that is doing little to calm the fears of Pointe-Claire residents who found out they’ve been living near an illegal PCB dumping site.
“The fumes, when it burns, it’s very dangerous”, says one resident Gilles Fleury.
“If it ever catches fire, we’re just next door.”
Reliance Power Equipment has been storing transformers containing toxic PCBs right in their backyard for 15 years.
The company has been told to clean up the Hymus street location immediately.
It’s a situation of major concern for Pointe-Claire’s mayor.
“This is a not legal operation at all, in any way shape or form – they require permits for that kind of thing, and obviously they have no permit whatsoever,” says mayor Bill McMurchie.
He is quick to point out that the city never authorized the company to store the toxic chemicals.
Local residents are certainly concerned about the chemicals.
In fact, memories still linger of a major PCB fire in St-Basile-le-Grand in 1988, where residents had to flee from toxic clouds.
However Dr. Joe Schwarcz from McGill University cautions against premature panic.
“I think there’s overreaction” he says,
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“Some of the reactions I’ve heard, it seems as if someone were storing nerve gas in these containers and that was being released… that’s not the case here.”
He says the term toxic is often misinterpreted.
There are many of variables that can determine how dangerous a substance can be.
“PCBs are not very volatile, the amount found in the air is very little,” said Schwarcz.
“Even if there is a spill, any amount in the air dissipates quickly.”
That doesn’t stop Phyllis Fleury from wanting justice.
“I hope whoever is responsible will be tried” she says,
“If he has to go to jail, he goes to jail.”
At a press conference on the Gaspé coast, Environment Minister Yves-François Blanchet promised to be extremely severe with the company and won’t hesitate to shut them down if they don’t comply with the governments requests.
No one from Reliance Power Equipment was available for comment.
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