Horne Foundry says it has reduced arsenic emissions

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Horne Foundry says the annual average for arsenic in ambient air at the monitoring station located on its property was 45 nanograms per cubic meter in 2023. This average is 15 times higher than the environmental standard, but represents an improvement compared to previous years. .

According to those responsible for the Horne smelter, who held a press conference on Thursday, the annual average of arsenic in the air at Rouyn-Noranda in 2023 illustrates the effectiveness of the transition projects implemented over the last two years.

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“These measures have reduced the average annual concentration of arsenic in the ambient air at Horne Station by more than 70 percent since 2005,” said Marie-Elise Viger, environmental director of copper operations in North America.

Glencore, owner of the foundry, says it has ordered new dust collectors in recent years, improved “cast wheel capture” and built a new dome.

According to those responsible for the smelter, average concentration calculations show that currently “approximately 99 percent of the urban perimeter of Rouyn-Noranda has 15 ng per cubic meter,” which represents the objective imposed on the company by the Quebec government every year. back. However, the annual norm set by the clean air regulation is 3 ng/m³.

The company anticipates that the modernization project called “Aeris” should reduce the average annual concentration of arsenic in ambient air to 3 ng/m³ or less for approximately 84 percent of Rouyn-Noranda’s urban perimeter.

However, Glencore has not indicated how many years it will take to reach the legal threshold for arsenic emissions into the air.

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The Mères au front group in Rouyn-Noranda, which has long campaigned for the smelter to respect emissions standards, is not impressed by the data revealed by Glencore.

“But why, after 20 years of exemptions, has the company still not met the standard?” asked spokeswoman Jennifer Ricard-Turcotte.

“They tell us that the concentrations of arsenic in the air are much lower, but what we must understand is that we are exposed to different pollutants through the air we breathe, but also through soil dust, and in Rouyn-Noranda we have accumulated 100 years of air pollution.

“Even when the standards are met, our health will not be protected, because arsenic is a non-threshold carcinogen and we have a long history of exposure.”

The mine workers’ union, the Syndicat des travailleurs de la Mine Noranda (CSN), was also skeptical.

“We are seeing progress, but we would like to see Glencore confirm most of the investments that will allow us to go even further to reduce the presence of arsenic around the smelter,” union president Shawn Smith said in an exchange with The Canadian Press.

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Emissions linked to cancer risk

Arsenic emissions from Horne Smelter are associated with an increased estimated risk of cancer.

In the summer of 2022, a report from the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ) concluded that, over a 70-year period, an excessive number of citizens of Rouyn-Noranda, between one and 14 years old, would develop cancer if the La Glencore company did not reduce the concentration of arsenic in the air produced by the smelter.

In March 2023, the government required Horne Foundry to put in place a plan to meet the 15 ng/m target³ of arsenic by 2027, which would be, if the smelter manages to meet the target, five times higher than the environmental standard, which is 3 ng/m³.

The previous agreement with Glencore, signed with the Liberal government in 2017, allowed the smelter’s arsenic emissions to reach an annual average of 100 ng/m³or 33 times more than the standard.

In spring 2023, the government also required the company to submit an action plan by 2027, to possibly reach 3 ng/m³ standard.

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