Sustainability website / Case Studies 2006 / Xstrata nickel / Canada: Xstrata Nickel's Sudbury Soils Study

Canada: Xstrata Nickel's Sudbury Soils Study

The study aims to assess fully any risks relating to human health and environmental risks, based on previous studies of similar nature in other Ontario communities, however, it is believed that there is no immediate risk to human health due to metal levels in Sudbury soils.

Scope of the Study

The Sudbury Soils Study is one of the largest human health and ecological risk assessment studies ever conducted in Canada. It was initiated in 2001, after the provincial Ministry of the Environment (MOE) identified elevated levels of nickel, cobalt, copper and arsenic in Sudbury soils and recommended further study. While the study aims to assess fully any risks relating to human health and environmental risks, based on previous studies of similar nature in other Ontario communities, both the MOE and the Sudbury District Medical Officer of Health believes that there is no immediate risk to human health due to metal levels in Sudbury soils.

The Sudbury Soils Study was advanced significantly in 2006 with the submission of the draft human health risk assessment for scientific peer review in September. The other major study component, an ecological risk assessment, was submitted for peer review early in 2007.

Community partners

Xstrata Nickel (formerly Falconbridge) and Inco (now CVRD Inco) have mined the Sudbury Basin in Northern Ontario since the early 20th century, and continue to have significant operations there. Both companies voluntarily accepted the MOE's recommendation and joined an open study process involving four other community partners: the MOE, the Sudbury & District Health Unit, the City of Greater Sudbury, Health Canada First Nations and Inuit Health Branch. A dedicated website provides the wider community with regular updates.

Technical Committee

The study partners sit on a Technical Committee, with decisions made by consensus. An independent party chairs the meetings and an independent process observer attends meetings to represent the interests of the general public and the environment. The observer regularly reviews the study process and reports to the public on a regular basis via the study website. A Public Advisory Committee (PAC) represents citizens' interests in the study, and a PAC member attends Technical Committee meetings and provides input on the study process. There are regular PAC Open Houses where Sudbury community members can receive updates on the study process.

Independently administered

The scientific study itself is independently administered. An independent consortium of experts has conducted the scientific fieldwork and data analysis and reports its findings to the Technical Committee. More than 10,000 soil samples have been collected and analyzed on identified chemicals of concern, creating tens of thousands of data points. Samples were also collected of air, dust, local foods and market baskets.

Scientific reviewers

Selection of scientific reviewers for the 2006 peer review of the draft human health risk assessment was conducted by an independent party, Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment, and a public briefing was held to introduce panel members to the public and to explain the peer review process. Following the public briefing, and prior to the delivery of an independent peer review report, the panel publicly stated that it found the risk assessment to be very comprehensive and included extensive sampling in the community. The panel also stated that the assessment appropriately considered all sensitive groups of the population and possible exposure pathways.

Publication of assessments

Following detailed feedback from the peer review panel, the human health risk assessment will be released to the general public in 2007. It is anticipated that the ecological risk assessment will be publicly released later in 2007. As an active participant in the study process, Xstrata Nickel is committed to respecting the results of the study, and if necessary, taking appropriate action should any unacceptable risks be identified.

More information is available at www.sudburysoilsstudy.com.