Community members in the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka (Mohawk) community of Kahnawake are meeting on Wednesday after elevated levels of lead in air and soil samples were collected. The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) said that test samples found “concentrations of detectable lead” exceeding Quebec thresholds from the eastern boundary of the community when the wind blows from the Satine-Catherine area. “In one sampling event (consisting of numerous six-minute sample periods over the course of three hours), the average reading collected from the Coriolis air sampler was over 150 ng/m3 (nanograms per cubic meter),” an MCK news release reads. “The Quebec threshold of 100 ng/m3 represents an average level of exposure over an entire year, meaning someone exposed to levels over 100 ng/m3 on average over an entire year may be at higher risk.” Border issues The recent news release follows others with environmental concerns in eastern Kahnawake. The Kahnawake Survival School is near the eastern border, and a news release from March says that high levels of lead were found in maple water/sap samples on the school grounds. “These results are extremely alarming, and it was critical that the community be informed as soon as possible,” said Mohawk Council grand chief Cody Diabo. “We are doing more testing, and we will keep the community informed as this concern remains evident.” In July, the MCK said that visible airborne dust near the boundary was concerning community members. The council sent a note to the shredded steel plant Les Industries Associées de l’Acier Ltée, which is on the other side of the boundary, as well as to Sainte-Catherine Mayor Sylvain Bouchard and the Quebec Environment Ministry, for clarification. “What the community saw today is alarming and unacceptable,” said Environment Portfolio Lead Ross Montour. “We are calling for immediate remediation and complete disclosure from all parties involved. Our community deserves answers.” Wind from the east In the past four months, the MCK says results are influenced by wind direction and speed, as well as weather conditions. When the wind is blowing from Sainte-Catherine, the levels are higher, the council says. The community’s environment protection office (KEPO) and Kahanwake Education Centre (KEC) are also reviewing the findings. KEPO also collected soil samples in the region this summer and also found high levels of lead. The collected samples have been sent to Environment and Climate Change Canada for analysis, the MCK says. The City of Sainte-Catherine acknowledged the report and said it “takes this information seriously.” It would not, however, comment on the data, but said that an inter-ministerial working group was set up on environmental and health-risk characterization. “In particular, the participants worked on developing a protocol for information sharing among partners, so that the data produced by each party can be pooled and interpreted in a coordinated manner,” spokesperson Marina Badani told CTV News. “The Montérégie Public Health Department has reaffirmed that there is currently no known evidence to suggest an immediate risk to public health, whether in relation to air or water quality.” The city added that important environmental data is “still lacking to provide a complete picture of the situation. Vigilance remains essential.” The Quebec environment ministry did not respond to CTV News’ requests for comments.
