Company responsible for New Brunswick hexavalent chromium spill named
A government official in the Canadian province of New Brunswick has named the company allegedly responsible for spilling a substance containing hexavalent chromium in Fredericton last week.
Speaking in a news conference, Charbel Awad, deputy environment minister of New Brunswick, said XL Plating and Machining allegedly spilled 900 litres of a bright yellow substance along 14 kilometres of roads and highways in Fredericton's east end last Wednesday, 4 March.
"Over the coming weeks, monitoring, testing and remedial work will continue as the investigation concludes," Awad said. "The respective parties will evaluate appropriate enforcement actions, which may include charges and fines."
Residents reported seeing the substance on roads as early as last Wednesday evening, according to CBC News. The spill was reported to the Department of Environment and Local Government on 5 March, and samples were taken at that time and sent for immediate testing. On 6 March, the department received sampling results confirming the presence of sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide and hexavalent chromium.
"Hexavalent chromium can sound alarming, and I understand why," said Dr. Rita Gad, regional medical officer of health. "While long-term exposure to this substance can increase certain cancer risks, brief or one‑time contact does not. In this situation, the chemical was dispersed over a long distance on the highway. These two samples were collected the morning after the spill and from where the heaviest visible spill occurred. These levels were expected to be elevated. I still assess the possibility of exposure as low."
Environment Canada classifies hexavalent chromium as a toxic substance, and the U.S. National Cancer Institute says occupational exposure to the chemical is associated with increased risks of lung cancer and cancer of the paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity.
Charbel Awad said that cleanup of the spill began on Friday 6 March, with EFI Global hired to do the work at the expense of XL Plating and Machining. Kevin Burgher of EFI Global was reported as saying that most of the remediation work was completed by Wednesday 11 March.
