Refinery dust angers Saint John residents

Neighbours of the Irving Oil refinery in Saint John, N.B. were demanding answers Monday after a second cloud of dust from the refinery blanketed their homes and cars.

The grey, gritty dust was released during the weekend over the Champlain Heights neighbourhood in east Saint John.

Residents said they had barely finished cleaning up the mess from a fallout that occurred Thursday.

Irving Oil offered people vouchers to have their homes and cars cleaned for free after Thursday's incident.

But some residents want to know why the refinery has not been shut down.

"It's not good enough to give people a free car wash," said clean air activist Gordon Dalzell, who lives in the neighbourhood.

"I think the Department of the Environment has to put in a very clear message to stop operations there until they can get a complete assessment and handle on this problem — what is causing it, and how we can be guaranteed that it's not to continue again."

Refinery officials have said the dust was a catalyst made from clay and silica compounds.

The Environment  Department said Irving shut down a processing unit after the fallout Thursday, but dust was released again when the unit was re-started on Saturday.

The department is investigating the incident, which spread dust over a five-kilometre radius around the refinery.

"We don't like to see any incidents, so two is more than what we would like," said Susan Atkinson, regional director for the department.

After the first incident, Dale Cooper, the refinery's processing manager, described the dust as a nuisance but said it was not hazardous.

The Environment Department said it expects to know more Tuesday.