Aamjiwnaang First Nation says high chemical levels making members sick, calls for Sarnia facility shutdown

Aamjiwnaang First Nation in Sarnia, Ont., is calling on all levels of government to shut down a facility after data indicatedhigh levels of a harmfulchemical were present in the air.

In a news release, the First Nationsaid it sent itsemployees homes Tuesday as they were complainingof headaches, nausea and dizziness symptoms associated with high levels of benzene.

According to preliminary data from pollutant monitors in the region, multiple times this month, the air quality was recorded as poor and moderate from benzene levels.

The First Nation blames the pollution on the operations ofINEOSStyrolution, which produces chemicals used inplastic and rubber products. Thefacility is just one of many industrial companies in anarea that environmental advocates have called "chemical valley."

Aamjiwnaang'sband office is down the street from the INEOS facility.

"Immediate reforms are needed to address the systemic racism which pervades the environmental protection regime and allows industry proponents, such as INEOS, to continue with 'business as usual,'" reads part of the statement released by the First Nation.

Benzene, according to the World Health Organization,is associated with a range of"acute and long-term adverse health effects and diseases," including cancer and blood issues.

Company says it upholds safety protocols

INEOS Styrolutiontold CBC news in an email Wednesday that it understands Aamjiwnaang First Nation's concerns and is"carefully reviewing this data and any concerns."

It said that site works closely with the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks to "ensure we stay within the prescribed emissions limits."

"We uphold stringent environmental and safety protocols to meet all regulated standards"set by the ministry, the company said. "Our dedication to these standards underscores our unwavering commitment to safeguarding our environment and the people within it."

CBC Newswasalso waiting for comment from theministry.

In an email, Environment and Climate Change Canada directed CBC News to a statement it released in February.

The statement says the government is working on draft regulations to reduce industry emissions of harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which include benzene. The public will be able to weigh in on these until April 24.

The regulations would "require facilities to install vapour control equipment on tanks and loading operations, as well as to inspect and repair that equipment for defects on a regular basis."

In its statement, the government thankedAamjiwnaang First Nation for "their advocacy and research regarding health effects in their community caused by exposure to VOCs from industrial facilities."

'We are screaming,' says councillor

The industrial area in the region has longstandingconcernsover pollution due to the number of industrial plants.

The First Nation saidthat recently, it seemsthe problem has been getting worse.

"Despite continuous fence line monitoring and oversight from both the provincial and federal governments, the level of benzene being reported within Aamjiwnaang's monitoring stations continually exceeds regulated standards and, more alarming, appears to be increasing," reads its news release.

Aamjiwnaang Coun.Janelle Nahmabintold CBC News that she feels her voice as an elected officialisn't being heard.

"We are screaming that this is what happens withallowing things to continue as normal.They can't. Everybody has to become aware of the effects of pollution, how it affects us, because if we are not advocating, who else is going to advocate for us?" saidNahmabin, also known as Red Cloud Woman and part of the Bear Clan.

Nahmabin saidshe also heard from a parent who brought their child to the hospital recently as a result of symptoms they believe are the result of high benzene levels.

She also said this recent spike in benzene in the air has impacted a ceremony. A sacred teepee is up to remember someone who had died, but the ceremonywas halted because of concerns over air quality safety.

Benzene a 'concern' in Sarnia: government reviews

Nine air monitoring stations are set up throughout Sarnia, which are operated by the provincial government,Aamjiwnaang First Nationand the Sarnia-Lambton Environmental Association.

The data from these feeds a real-time website calledClean Air Sarnia and Area, whichthe community uses to monitor pollutant levels. The site includes adisclaimerthat since the data is in real time, it might not be the most accurate and is considered "unverified."

The website says the Ministry of the Environment may alertthe community when pollutant concentrations are "very poor" and fall above the Ambient Air Quality Criteria.

A Ministry of the Environmental report released in March on an air exposure review in Sarnia found benzene levels are a "concern" in some areas due to industrial emissions, specifically because benzene could possibly increase the risk of leukemia, a blood cancer.

The review saidsteps should be taken to reduce levels of benzene "as much as possible," particularly in south Sarnia and theAamjiwnaang First Nation reserve.

"We keep waiting for the ministry to show up for us,and it's not happening,"Nahmabinsaid.

As this situation unfolds,Aamjiwnaang's environment co-ordinator, Cathleen O'Brien, is in Washington, D.C., with the federal government at the National Environmental Justice Conference speaking on a panel about this very issue.

O'Brien told CBCNews in a phone call that as she was about to speak, her phone was going offfrom people back home to talk about what they're experiencing.

Despite alerts going to community memberswhen pollutants are high, O'Brien saidthey feel the limits decided upon "are not protective of human health" anddon't "take into account the cumulative impact" of repeated exposure to these chemicals.

"Consider choosing people over profits," she said.