'Ask questions' about emissions event: Environment Hamilton

The head of Environment Hamilton said people who live near the city's industrial area need to put pressure on environmental regulators and demand more from polluting companies after a black grit fell from the sky onto a north Hamilton neighbourhood on Monday.

The Ministry of Environment is investigating after residents of Grenfell Street said a black cloud emerged from the ArcelorMittal Dofasco steel mill and blew over their street around 1:45 p.m.Coun. Sam Merullaof Ward 4 said his office received complaints of falling particles from as far away as east Mountain.

• Soot-like substance falls from the sky on to North Hamilton homes

The steel company notified the Ministry of Environment of an emissions incident after a "bleeder pop"occurred in one of its blast furnaces, releasing emissions with a "high opacity" for about 30 seconds, spokeswoman Marie Verdunsaid in an email to CBC Hamilton.

People need to be asking questions about 'whats going on? And what kind of response am I going to see from the company thats caused the problem?'- Lynda Lukasik, Environment Hamilton Executive Director

On Grenfell Street, snowbanks were blanketed with coarse black grit, though Verdun would not definitively state the falloutwas caused by the plant's emissions.

"We are still collecting information on whether the operational upset at our No. 4 blast furnace yesterday caused off-property impact," Verdun said.

She said the company did speak with Hamilton's Public Health department, who said event wasn't a major health risk due to the 30-second duration of the incident and thesize of the particulate.

Environment Hamilton executive director Lynda Lukasik said shes worried that if the emissions did come from the ArcelorMittalDofasco plant, aging equipment may be to blame.

"These facilities are not new facilities any more,"Lukasik said.

"Its really important now, when things like this happen, to ask questions and to make noise and to demand better."

Lukasik said she realizes things can go wrong in the steel industry Verdun said bleeder pops take place when a safety valve is released because pressure in a furnace is too high but there's still cause for concern.

Lukasik cited last Septembers release of acidic airborne emissions as another worrisome event, though the company said that was an isolated incident. And while the industries operating on Hamilton's waterfront are far cleaner than they were 100 years ago, Lukasik says there's still a long way to go, particularly when it comes to protecting nearby residents.

"People need to be asking questions about 'whats going on? And what kind of response am I going to see from the company thats caused the problem?'"Lukasic said.

Verdun said if the ministry finds the particulate came from ArcelorMittalDofasco, the company will "work with our neighbours to ensure their concerns are addressed and handled appropriately."

Grit sinking into melting snow

Debbie Lapointe, one of the Grenfell Street residents whose home was covered in the soot-like substance, said nothing has happened since a Ministry of Environment official came to collect samples on Monday afternoon.

Today, as the snow has been melting in the sun and slightly warmer temperature, the grit appears to be sinking in, she said.

Lapointe said she believes its not the first time grit like this has landed on her home, but because of the snow its far more visible. While shes not especially concerned about what will happen when the snow melts, shes still eager for the province to release more information about the grit.

"Im more curious to find out what it is," Lapointe said.

Stephen Burt, the ministrys senior environmental officer who collected samples on Grenfell St. on Tuesday, said it could take between two weeks to a month before a lab can identify the substance.

Queen's Park must act on emissions: Merulla

Merulla said hes "optimistic"that ministry officials were able to get a better sample than they normally recover from this type of event, which may lead to some punishment for polluters.

Merulla cautioned, however, that the city is powerless when it comes to sanctioning polluters and Queen's Park needs to toughen its laws before it can properly punish companies that create emissions.

"Were banging ourheads against the wall constantly on this issue if you dont have a law to enforce, then its not going to get enforced,"Merulla said.

"Its laughable to even say we have an enforcement branch of the Ministry of Environment."

Merulla said the emission events seem to happen quarterly. He said he encourages affected residents to contact the ministry every time it happens, to strengthen the case that Ontario needs to crack down on polluters.

"We need Queens Park to act on our behalf,"Merulla said, adding residents should also be discussing the issue with their MPP.

Merulla suggested the ministry should be able to do real-time monitoring of emissions and have the ability to shut down companies that release unacceptable levels of emissions.