Work at a construction site for a daycare centre in Montreal’s Pointe-Saint-Charles was stopped last week after contamination in the soil was confirmed.
The stoppage comes after neighbours in the area reportedly complained of foul smell coming from the work site located at the corner of Island and Augustin-Cantin streets. Some residents also experienced symptoms like headaches and nausea.
In a letter posted at the site and sent to neighbours, the Montreal public health authority (DRSP) said that soil excavation during construction revealed that contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, petroleum hydrocarbons and metals were “more extensive than anticipated.”
However, health authorities say there is no short-term threat to the neighbours.
“Based on the initial ambient air monitoring results received to date, no immediate health risk to the surrounding population has been identified,” said Geneviève Paradis, a spokesperson for the (DRSP).
“Further assessments have been conducted to better document the potential effects associated with longer-term exposure,” she added.
Health officials say the project developer is also conducting air quality tests in the surrounding area in collaboration with government agencies. The developer will also decontaminate the site before the daycare construction resumes.
Scott Weichenthal, professor of environmental epidemiology at McGill University, says that long-term exposure to substances like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons found at the location are known to cause cancer in humans. He adds that a large fuel or oil leak over an extended period of time may have caused the level of contamination seen.
“That oil is now releasing these volatile chemicals into the air and that’s what is contributing to those symptoms like nausea and headaches that the residents are experiencing.”
He added that it would be important to measure the ambient air for contaminants to determine risks to the community.
“But it also highlights why we need to decontaminate the site,” he added. “If they’re going to put a daycare on top of it, because we don’t want those things leaching into the indoor air of a daycare.”
