AIR MONITORING SHOWS METAL LEVELS WELL BELOW PROVINCIAL CRITERIA

SUDBURY – Preliminary results from air monitoring conducted last fall in and around the City of Greater Sudbury show metal levels well below Ontario provincial criteria. The SARA Group undertaking the Sudbury Soils Study conducted air monitoring every six days during October and November at nine sites in the city and one site at Windy Lake Provincial Park, as part of their year-long air monitoring study. Tests were undertaken for metals including the study’s chemicals of concern – arsenic, cobalt, copper, lead, nickel and selenium. SARA shared these results with the study’s Technical Committee at its regular monthly meeting yesterday. Once they have become final, air monitoring results for the full year of testing will be posted on the Sudbury Soils Study website.

The website is regularly updated by the SARA Group to provide timely information on the study and test results as they are finalized, and to provide links to related sites. Members of the public are invited to make suggestions on information they would like to see on the website by sending an e-mail message to questions@sudburysoilsstudy.com.

Also at yesterday’s Technical Committee meeting, SARA representatives reported that they will be participating in the 2004 Sudbury Restoration Workshop on February 18 and 19, 2004 at Laurentian University. SARA Group director Chris Wren will be speaking at a plenary session on February 18, and a team of SARA scientists will be conducting a morning workshop on the Soils Study’s Ecological and Human Health Risk Assessment on February 19.

The Technical Committee overseeing the Sudbury Soils Study has decided to set aside one hour at the beginning of each meeting for public presentations. Members of the public who wish to make a presentation and would like consideration on the agenda are asked to contact Ivan Filion at 705-566-8101, ext 7909 or via e-mail at iafilion@cambrianc.on.ca, or the SARA Group at 1-866-315-0228 or via e-mail at questions@sudburysoilsstudy.com

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For more information, contact:

For more information please contact
SARA Group director, Chris Wren at
1-519-766-1039 or 1-866-315-0228.