N.L. fumbled lead test results release: mayor
Last Updated: Thursday, November 26, 2009 | 5:10 PM NT
CBC News
The mayor of a central Newfoundland mining community is angry the results of a blood test done on people in his community — where dangerously high levels of lead were found in the soil — are being released to the media before his town council has seen them.
"Nobody ever indicated to me or members of the community that we were going to have to tune into open-line [radio shows] or [CBC's] Here and Now or anyone else to find out what the picture was for the community and what the results indicated," said Buchans Mayor Derm Corbett, Wednesday.
On Oct. 6, the provincial government invited Buchans' 800 residents to a public meeting to discuss the result of soil tests that were done in their community last summer.
The testing found that an abandoned mine site that stretches over eight square kilometres around the perimeter of the community has dangerously high levels of lead and other metals.
Tests found 10 toxic substances
Ten toxic substances showed up in tests, including arsenic, copper and uranium, but it's the amount of lead in the soil that has officials most concerned.
The provincial health authority for the area, Central Health, said this week that more than 100 people have been told they tested positive for lead but the levels aren't high enough for concern.
Corbett says health officials should have come back to the community to explain the results before releasing information to reporters: "This train has gone off the track," said Corbett.
He says community leaders deserve a chance to have their questions answered and some assurance that it won't be handled this way again.
Provincial Health Minister Jerome Kennedy told CBC News he's been busy dealing with the H1N1 pandemic but promised he would speak with Corbett.
"That's something I would like to in the very near future, discuss with him to address his concerns and to also address those concerns with Central Health," he said.
