'Good news' from Giant Mine: Low levels of dust and arsenic in air

A report from the Giant Mine Remediation Project shows the site isn't stirring much up in terms of dust or arsenic.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada gave CBC the air quality monitoring report for the week ending on June 2, and a director with the Giant Mine Oversight Board said the results are very similar to what he's seen in his year and a half on the board.

"This air quality monitoring, it's a good-news story," said Ken Froese, director of the Giant Mine Oversight Board. "It gives us confidence that the activities on the site are taking care of air quality."

The remediation project is tracking the level of "particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter" in the air — or, as it's more commonly called, dust.

The report did find one instance on May 29 where the dust in the air exceeded the acceptable level, but Froese said this was likely because of fog. The instruments use light to measure the number of particles in the air, and when fog enters the instrument, it mimics dust — altering the results.

Froese said if the level of dust in the air gets too high because of remediation activities, workers will either stop the activity or find a solution, like using water to control the dust.

It also tracks the levels of contaminants found in the dust, including arsenic, asbestos, and nitrogen dioxide.

"In terms of the analyses for arsenic, it's been below detection for every report I've seen," said Froese.

The report found the level of arsenic in the dust was so low that the instruments couldn't accurately measure it, which was the same for the presence asbestos and nitrogen dioxide.

"There's nothing of concern," said Froese.