Toxic substances from N.L. mine endanger town: study

Every resident in the small central Newfoundland community of Buchans has been told they should get a blood test to find out if they've been poisoned by lead.

Three cabinet ministers from the provincial government travelled to the community Tuesday to deliver the news to residents during a hastily called meeting at the local town hall.

Results from tests done during the summer show that an abandoned mine site that stretches over eight square kilometres around the perimeter of the community has dangerously high levels of lead and other metals.

Residents sat in shocked silence as they were told they've been breathing in toxic substances from the old mine site for decades.

"I want to tell you that we're not downplaying this," Environment Minister Charlene Johnson said. "We don't have enough information to make a conclusion yet."

Buchans is built around an old lead and zinc mine that shut down in the 1980s.

Residents and town officials have since been demanding that the site be cleaned up.

AbitibiBowater, which had been a partner in the mine, had planned to spend more than $2 million on remediation work, but that didn't go ahead when the company applied for bankruptcy protection earlier this year.

At Tuesday night's meeting, the provincial government ministers confirmed that the mine site is spreading potentially poisonous soil throughout the town.

Ten toxic substances showed up in tests, including arsenic, copper and uranium, but it's the amount of lead in the soil that has officials most concerned.

Health Minister Paul Oram said health officials are recommending that all of the town's 800 residents be tested, especially children and pregnant women.

"We are [erring on the side] of caution here. The tests that we've done, or that environment has done thus far, have shown ... that there's reason to be concerned."

The government is also promising to start cleaning up the site in the spring.

Buchan's Mayor Derm Corbett said that's a relief.

"It was devastating to the community," Corbett said, "that it looked like another generation of Buchans residents would have to live with this."

The province also plans to expand the testing, to study the soil in public areas such as playgrounds.