Document DDk1NeoMLvjZm3Na2vgKe52gB

THE RECORD, Wednesday, July 29, 1981 n ht 4 1( ;' Alberta Environment Bill Macdonald called burned off in.'the plant's the plant. The direction of \ has not made a decision so "two fairly major leaks.". flare stack. The second in-, the wind at the time of the. [far'on whether to charge On July 6, 12 tonnes cident occured when incident was from ' the iDiamond Shamrock (12,000 kilograms) of employees, changing/ a north-west and it was rain Alberta Gas (DSAG) with vinyl chloride monomer filter, accidentally left ing quite heavily. Mac 'violation of the Clean Air (VCM), a known car open a valve, releasing the donald said that would ac /Act,' after DSAG acciden- cinogen, were released in chemical -into the plant's' count for the low reading. ' tally released dangcrus to the atmosphere, after header] system that leads On July 16,0.2. parts ^ chemicals into - the at* workmen tried to replace a to the incinerator 1 and . per billion of VCM was Smosphere.,/ ' . -'e-V /_ control mechanism on'a flare system." '.recorded in the air from' -.The". decision , on " faulty reactor. ; / /(Macdonald. said - a two ' monitoring stations /.whether -or- not DSAG On July' 16* 4,000 decision will not be made downwind of the ' plant would be charged would kilograms of VCM were oii charges until reports over a 24-hour period.' /be based on tw'o incidents, released,' but only ,250 sent by DSAG to Alberta- The wind, at the time of one on July 6, and the se-. kilograms were released Environment have been the incident'was at low. cond on July 16 that into the atmosphere. The investigated. ' Diamond speeds from the- east- ' Alberta' Environment .Air remainder of the highly Shamrock could face fines north-east, and shifting Quality Control engineer flammable chemical was of $1 ,(>00 to $1,500. from the south-east. ' ` According . to; the ' : ^ ,, Macdonald said there if plant's, monitoring sta is no way for Alberta En tions, ^located around the. vironment to know' the [plant, during the July 6 in* concentration of VCM' in jcident, - over;";a 24-hour the atmosphere at the time tperiod,/v.0.4 . parts ;; per . .of the.' incidents, and. theJ jbiHioh./of / VCM / was /plant's' monitoring' sta-Y recorded ( in TM the'"'at-', tions -only take - readings T mosphere by the monitor-..' averaged over a 24-hour -J mg station downwind of period.]., - ^ i--~11' iwiifl R&S 004461 VCM danger questioned ^.-'^Whethef'^;"orj,'not V.posure oyer.long periods: , parts' per million. -Thar fYemployees were evacuated of time'pose any danger. "figure is becoming less and Sfsafely. from the Diamond Ray ( Sentes, safety fless, the more there' is ^Shamrock- Alberta Gas. director for .-^Alberta /.known . about the (DSAG) Vplant duly ' 6, Federation . of] Labour, chemical. He said there is ^.when; ^ leak ; df vinyl ' disagrees' with /. Morum. " a - threshold limit' value] fechlonde monomer (VCM) " Sentes said high concen-; . 'with toxic chemicals like; ft; occurred, depends'on who (rations of VCM oyer. a.. ammonia, but not enough^ pj/you talkTo.'Y' Y 7V //.-".'--/;^; s'hort; term have, .`just /as ]f research has been done onj &S';5.:/Plant! 'Managcr" John ; much potential for- caus- '.i: carario^enic (cancer cauS-4 gSMprum;: said/ 'employees-i/ing/cancer as lower/qc-; ;.ing)'chemicalsJ' i Alt*P ..11. nliiMiM .`l '?X(Morum/. said. /the-Yyalue has not beenideter- ff'-empioy.ees in the plant at mined.^ with] /VCMYjand -$- YSentes said researdi! grjthetithe/o? the leak face - other arc i hog e hi C AmtoVCM indicate that ex-] g/rio'-r:danger-/' of ] getting .chemicals; New. danger posure to the chemical/in'; S/cancer from short term ex- levels are being determin-' -both long'and short tend,1 posure to VCM,"- "even ;ed all the time. Sentes said /can . cause . cancerous- Athough- concentrations of the present danger-level -tumors , in ; the liver/' ^VCM were high." Morum- - for (said only concentrated ex- * period -t-nfiTitt;