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Tuesday, Aug 09, 2005

Ottawa urged to prosecute CN for two toxic spills

WABAMUN, Alta. (CP) - Booing and threatening lawsuits, angry residents here accused Canadian National on Tuesday of caring more about trains than about an oil spill from tanker cars that has fouled Lake Wabamun and jeopardized their water supply.
More than 250 people jammed a community hall to ask about the health risks of the black gooey bunker oil that spilled along with a toxic substance similar to diesel fuel used to preserve utility poles.

Officials including CN vice-president Paul Miller told residents it could take days before water toxicity tests will be complete, prompting Debbie Michalchuk to lash out at the company.

"You are not giving us answers, you are giving us clouds. Give us some answers," yelled Michalchuk, who lives close to where the tanker cars derailed a week ago.

"I am terribly disappointed in the lack of response. I have not received one notice from CN."

Miller told the crowd he isn't sure exactly how much bunker oil and pole-treating oil was spilled, but said the risk to the public was minimal.

"We don't know how much has been recovered," Miller said.

On Monday, health officials urged residents to avoid using water from the lake or nearby wells for any purpose until the tests are complete.

The warnings did not assuage the fears of some residents who yelled questions about whether they are at risk of cancer. An online fact sheet from Imperial Oil says pole-treating oil contains polycyclic aromatic compounds that can be cancerous under prolonged or repeated exposure.

Dean Fuller asked about why residents were not told about the dangers of the pole-treating oil until five days after the spill.

"Why are you skirting this issue?" Fuller said. "I need water today. I have a disabled child at home. This has become a health concern."

Miller said people who register with the company will receive free bottled water.

The public meeting occurred as environmental groups called on the federal government to prosecute CN for the Wabamun spill and another spill from a CN train wreck near Squamish, B.C., on Friday that sent thousands of litres of toxic sodium hydroxide into the Cheakamus River.

The spills have killed fish, birds and other aquatic life and may pose a threat to humans, said Sierra Club spokesman Stephen Hazell.

"Two catastrophic spills in the same week is a pretty strong indication that CN has lost sight of its environmental responsibilities," Hazell said from Ottawa.

Environment Canada spokeswoman Nancy Hnatiuk said both spills are under investigation to determine if a formal probe is needed.

Any charges would stem from the results of such a probe, she said.

"At this point they are gathering information to determine compliance with federal legislation," she said from Winnipeg. "Future action could be a full legal investigation."

The Alberta government was also investigating the spill, including why CN waited days to disclose that the spilled material included the more potentially dangerous pole-treating oil, said Alberta Environment spokesman Irwin Huberman.

"We feel the information that was supplied to us was incomplete, it was vague and it was general and it lacked specifics," he said. "We have not ruled out prosecution."

Imperial Oil spokesman Pius Rolheiser said CN asked Imperial last Thursday - after the derailment - for a material safety data sheet on its pole-treating oil, which the company provided that day.

The sheet provides information on a substance and procedures for handling it that's especially useful in the event of a spill or accident.

Rolheiser said two shipping documents from Aug. 2 referred to it as pole oil and Imperial pole- treating oil.

"Imperial provided accurate and correct and required information," he said.

CN formally acknowledged Tuesday that one of the derailed train cars contained chemicals that were not listed on the cargo manifest. CN originally reported that one of the leaking tankers contained lube oil.

Part of Monday's health alert included a warning for people to stop rescuing wildlife caught in the spill because it might expose them to the pole-treating oil.

Don Goss, whose once-pristine beachfront on Lake Wabamun is coated with a thick black ooze of oil, supported the call for charges.

Since the accident, Goss and his daughter Kaley, 11, have tried to rescue ducks, grebes and geese covered in the slimy gunk.

Goss said CN must be held accountable unless a federal investigation determines the spill was a freak accident.

"By all means they (charges) must be laid," Goss said. "It is heartbreaking to see this happen. My daughter is crying as she is helping pull waterfowl that are oil-soaked (and) half dead out of the water."

© The Canadian Press, 2005