Interviews with Workers' Forum
Glencore Horne Smelter and Government Fail to Protect Health of Workers and Community
Action in Rouyn Noranda, September 23, 2022 as part of global
Climate Strike protests.
TML Daily is reproducing below a recent Workers' Forum interview with Gerry Lauzon, a retired Horne smelter worker. The Quebec government is currently preparing the renewal of the ministerial authorization of Glencore's emission levels, which include arsenic. The authorization is to be made public at the end of November and will be in effect for the next five years. The workers and the community are demanding that the government assume its responsibilities for the population's health and that they be provided with full information on such a vital issue, as well as a decisive say over the decisions that are taken.
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Workers' Forum: When we look at the situation in Rouyn-Noranda, we see that the problem of a dangerous level of toxic emissions for workers and the population goes way back and has never been resolved? What's your opinion on this?
Gerry Lauzon:
Yes, that is the case. If we look at the context, we note that
in November 2004, for example, when the notice on arsenic in
ambient air in Rouyn-Noranda was publicly released, the
ministries of the Environment and of Health and Social Services
and Public Health clearly explained the issues of arsenic in
Rouyn-Noranda.
The inter-ministerial working group proposed to the authorities at the time that the Horne smelter reduce its emissions so that average arsenic concentrations in the Notre-Dame district would be reduced to below 10 nanograms per cubic metre. That goal was to be attained within 18 months.
They also requested that once the 10 nanograms per cubic metre level was reached, that the concentrations be further reduced to Quebec's three nanogram standard.
Governments sat idly by. Ministers dealing with the file were replaced. The 18 months that had been requested got turned into 18 years. Clearly, this is a serious failure on the part of governments.
Meanwhile, Noranda (now Glencore) took advantage of the situation. Their magic phrase was "investment and emissions reduction," not "meeting standards."
Over the years, citizens have undergone many tests, including urine samples for arsenic and blood tests for lead. With the technology measuring contaminants in the human body evolving, we saw that the problem was much more serious than what was being said. With the public release of reports on the situation, citizens became more concerned.
In addition, over the years a new generation has emerged, one which is less tolerant of pollution. Also, the economy of the time was different from today's. In terms of employment, the Horne foundry is no longer the main employer in the Rouyn-Noranda Regional County Municipality. Currently, it's around fifth.
There are many things that Glencore does not want to say in public. For example, a citizen is currently in court to have the quantity and concentration of contaminants in emissions made public. The company refuses, insisting that the information is confidential because of industrial and commercial secrecy.
WF: There's a lot of public concern about the materials received and processed at the smelter.
GL: Yes. They include ore concentrates, electronic inputs and industrial waste from a number of countries. The company smelts the material several times in order to extract the maximum copper or gold or precious metals. It retrieves the best and gets rid of the rest through its effluent treatment in the form of sludge that contains a lot of contaminants, and which is disposed of in government authorized tailings ponds. These ponds are now so large that they could become a serious problem.
One of these ponds is located high up near Lake Dufault, which is the source of drinking water for the city of Rouyn-Noranda's urban centre. If a dike were to fail and the contaminants spilled into the water, it would be a disaster for the city and its citizens.
There's also this unusual situation where the smelter channels the water to the city through the work of its smelter employees. I don't understand how in 2022 it's the company providing water to the city and not the city providing water to the company.
WF: There's a lot of talk about the impact of the emissions on the surrounding population but not much in terms of the smelter workers themselves.
GL: That's right. Recently, Glencore issued a press release explaining what its new plant will be like in order to attain 15 nanograms within five years. At a town hall meeting with Glencore, a citizen asked why it doesn't reduce its use of contaminated material. It would still make money but would pollute less. The company representative told him that it doesn't matter if they use a lot or less because in the new plant everything will be encapsulated, so there will be fewer fugitive emissions.
And what about the workers
inside? They're the ones at the smelter's epicentre. We already
know that with the current limit of 100 micrograms per cubic
metre they're at risk.
While the workers are tested by the company for arsenic and lead, there's a lack of transparency as the Horne smelter sends the tests to be analyzed at its own laboratory. Why are they paying technicians when it can be done for free through the public occupational health network and analyzed at the IRSST (Robert-Sauvé Research Institute in Workplace Health and Safety)?
Workers have a lot to say about this whole situation. I'm talking about the working class and all the workers who enter the foundry. That's the company's wealth right there. Their health and safety should not be neglected for the sake of money.
To my knowledge, many foundry workers over the years have died prematurely, in their 40s and 50s, from cancers of all kinds -- brain, lung, blood, etc. I have friends among them. They didn't even reach retirement. Not to mention the workers who were contaminated with beryllium. Doctors have made great strides on the file to raise awareness and be heard. They see workers who are sick and citizens who are ill.
Workers and citizens want transparency. They are deeply concerned.
Of course everyone wants the smelter to remain open, but they're demanding transparency and concrete action.
WF: The media keep saying that the population is divided on the issue. What do you have to say about that?
GL: In order to unite people, we need to put forward that it's not the workers and citizens who are the polluters. Workers produce according to what the company decides and based on the standards and criteria set by governments.
Right now, Glencore and the government are giving free rein to all kinds of speculation, such as that the company could close if it is asked to move too quickly to reduce its emissions or lower its thresholds, with the public placed in the dilemma of choosing between their health and jobs.
Why do we pollute more here than elsewhere in Quebec? Why should the city of Rouyn-Noranda be polluted by a company that's making huge profits, and which is not at all transparent and doesn't want to talk to citizens about their health?
I believe the situation could be calmed down a lot if the government adopted proposals contained in a number of the briefs submitted during the public consultation. These proposals are that 15 nanograms of arsenic be attained within a year at the most (which is higher than the 10 nanograms proposed in 2004), and then three nanograms as soon as possible -- within five years at most -- by regularly reducing emissions every year.
In addition, all the information necessary to track progress should be made available to the public. There can be no secrecy when it comes to the health and safety of workers and the public.
(Translated from the original French by TML)
This article was published in
Volume 52 Number 45 - November 14, 2022
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmld2022/Articles/D520452.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca