A real-time air quality website for Sarnia’s Chemical Valley launched Wednesday, a significant step for residents who have long asked for greater transparency about air quality in the region.But critics say the data’s presentation doesn’t tell residents when the air they’re breathing could contain unsafe levels of harmful chemicals. Fifty-seven industrial polluters are registered with the Canadian and U.S. governments within 25 kilometres of Sarnia.“We fought hard to get data online. To that extent we’re glad that this data is now available to the public,” said Elaine MacDonald, an environmental engineer with environmental law non-profit EcoJustice. “But if it’s being represented in a way that’s misleading, that’s a really big concern.”A joint investigation by the Star, Global News, National Observer, the Michener Awards Foundation and journalism schools at Ryerson and Concordia universities revealed a troubling pattern of secrecy and potentially toxic leaks in Sarnia, also known as the Chemical Valley.In October, Ontario Environmental Commissioner Dianne Saxe said there’s “strong evidence” to suggest Chemical Valley pollution is causing “profound” health problems in the nearby First Nations community of Aamjiwnaang — surrounded on three sides by petrochemical plants — which neither the federal nor provincial governments have properly investigated. Following the joint investigation, provincial Environment Minister Chris Ballard committed to funding a health study examining those effects, something residents had sought for nearly a decade.The joint investigation also raised questions about whether companies and the provincial government are properly warning residents of Sarnia and Aamjiwnaang when potentially-toxic substances are leaked.The Clean Air Sarnia and Area (CASA) site, funded jointly by the provincial government and an industry partnership g ...
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