The Department of Health has updated its guidance on garden produce and cannabis that may have been exposed to smoke from the massive fire at American Iron and Metal’s scrapyard three months ago in Saint John, after four of 12 soil sampling sites showed “higher than expected levels of metals or chemicals.”
But health officials don’t believe the elevated results are related to the AIM fire, according to Dr. Kimberly Barker, regional chief medical officer of health.
“While the AIM fire has likely impacted soil quality in the city, our findings do not suggest it has impacted soil to the point that it poses a risk to the health of citizens,” she said in a statement.
According to the department “there are several possible explanations for the elevated results.”
None have been provided, but a guide Public Health has developed on growing garden edibles in urban and industrial areas indicates soil in some communities naturally contains different levels of metals and chemical compounds. “Urban areas, in particular, may contain higher levels of soil pollutants due to heavy traffic and other sources of environmental pollutants such as local industrial activities,” it says.
The four sites with elevated test results require further investigation, the department said.
Help shape the future of CBC article pages by taking a quick survey.
Public Health also plans to review the report released Tuesday by the task force that examined the AIM fire to determine if further actions are required.
The fire, which started around 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 14 and burned for roughly 40 hours, prompted a city-wide shelter in place order because of hazardous smoke.
The exact cause and origin of the “catastrophic” fire was inconclusive, but Attorney General Ted Flemming, who was a member of the task force, said investigators believe the likely cause