Independent Environmental Monitoring Program: McMaster Nuclear Reactor
| Site name | McMaster Nuclear Reactor |
|---|---|
| Licensee | McMaster University (McMaster) |
| Facility name | McMaster Nuclear Reactor |
| Facility location | Hamilton, ON |
| Land Acknowledgement | The CNSC acknowledges that the McMaster Nuclear Reactor is located within the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishnaabe Nations. |
| Facility description | McMaster operates an open-pool research reactor housed in a stand-alone containment building located on the McMaster University campus in Hamilton, Ontario. It has been in operation since 1959 and provides neutron-based services in support of applications in health, materials, energy, and environmental sciences. |
| Environmental Protection Requirements | In accordance with regulatory requirements under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act, all licensees must maintain a comprehensive environmental protection program to monitor and control nuclear and hazardous substances released from the facilities they own and operate. As part of every licensee’s environmental protection program, concentrations of contaminants in the environment must be determined and the potential exposure routes to the public must be assessed and mitigated. |
Our IEMP results are consistent with the results submitted by McMaster, supporting our assessment that the licensee’s environmental protection program is effective. The results add to the body of evidence that people and the environment in the vicinity of the McMaster Nuclear Reactor are protected and that there are no anticipated health impacts from the operation of the facilities on the site.
On this page:
- Interactive map and IEMP results
- Data table ( Download CSV - 1.41 KB)
- Results: (2023)
- Indigenous Nations and Communities’ Participation
- Focus on health
- Conclusions
Legend
McMaster Nuclear Reactor
Legend
Results Table
1 The < symbol indicates that a result is below the provided laboratory analytical detection limit.
2 N/A – not available.
3 For radiological parameters (expressed as Bq/L, Bq/kg or Bq/m3) where no federal or provincial guidelines exist, our screening levels were established based on conservative assumptions using CSA standard N288.1-20, Guidelines for modelling radionuclide environmental transport, fate, and exposure associated with the normal operation of nuclear facilities. The screening level for a particular radionuclide in a particular medium (e.g., water, air, food) represents the activity concentration that would result in a dose of 0.1 mSv/year (millisieverts per year), a dose at which no impacts on human health are expected. For more information, please refer to the IEMP technical information sheet.
2023 Results
The 2023 IEMP sampling plan for the McMaster Nuclear Reactor focused on nuclear substances. A site-specific sampling plan was developed based on the licensee’s approved environmental monitoring program and our regulatory experience with the site. We endeavour to incorporate traditional Indigenous land use, values and knowledge by engaging with Indigenous Nations and communities on the sampling plan. More information on this engagement is provided in the “Indigenous Nations and communities’ participation” section.
In May 2023, we collected samples in publicly accessible areas outside the facility perimeter.
The levels of radioactivity measured in air and soil were below available guidelines and our own screening levels. Our screening levels are based on conservative assumptions about the exposure that would result in a dose of 0.1 mSv per year (one-tenth of the regulatory public dose limit of 1 mSv per year). The measurements indicate that the levels of radioactivity in the environment are low and well within the range of natural background radiation levels. As a result, no effects on human health are expected.
1 The reference samples are taken in a location where there is likely no potential for exposure from the operations of the nuclear facility. The reference location is chosen based on distance from the operation, on meteorological data such as predominant wind direction or precipitation (for atmospheric releases) and water current (for effluent discharges). This allows us to collect local data that is representative of the region around the facility. This data is then compared with sampling results. This is especially important when background data, guidelines or screening levels do not exist for a certain contaminant or medium in a certain region.
Indigenous Nations and Communities’ Participation
We have made it a priority to ensure that IEMP sampling reflects Indigenous traditional knowledge, land use, and values where possible. In addition to routine IEMP sampling activities, we seek input from local Indigenous Nations and communities on our IEMP sampling plans.
In advance of the 2023 IEMP sampling campaign at McMaster Nuclear Reactor, notification emails were sent to Indigenous Nations and communities near the facility to notify them of the sampling campaign and to seek input on the sampling plan. We invited suggestions for species of interest, valued components, and potential sampling locations where traditional practices and activities may take place.
In March 2023, CNSC staff held a meeting with the Six Nations of the Grand River to discuss the IEMP and the draft sampling plan. The Six Nations of the Grand River did not have any feedback on the sampling plan. Unfortunately, the Six Nations of the Grand River were not able to participate in the 2023 sampling campaign. CNSC staff will continue to work with the Six Nations of the Grand River in future IEMP sampling campaigns at McMaster Nuclear Reactor.
We will continue to engage with interested Indigenous Nations and communities to ensure that IEMP sampling incorporates Indigenous knowledge in future sampling.
Focus on health
CNSC staff review the results of public health reports and data, international publications, and at times conduct our own health studies to provide further independent verification that the health of people in and around the McMaster Nuclear Reactor (MNR) site is protected.
The City of Hamilton (CH) Public Health Services, Public Health Ontario, and Cancer Care Ontario monitor the health of populations, including those living near the MNR site. Disease rates are compared to other similar populations (or larger reference populations, such as Ontario) to detect any potential health outcomes that may be of concern.
Like the rest of Ontario, the most common cancers in CH are breast, prostate, lung, and colorectal. From 2014 to 2018, for all cancers and sexes combined, CH had cancer incidence rates (i.e., the number of new cancers occurring in a specified population during a year) similar to Ontario. CH had higher incidence rates of liver (males), lung (males), and uterus cancer; and significantly lower incidence rates of leukemia, prostate, and thyroid cancer compared to Ontario. From 2014 to 2018, for all cancers and sexes combined, CH had significantly higher mortality rates than the Ontario average but was like other regions with comparable demographics (e.g., Niagara Region, Peterborough). Mortality from breast, colorectal, Hodgkin lymphoma, liver (males), lung, myeloma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and pancreatic cancer was higher in CH than Ontario.
Certain lifestyles and behaviours can increase the risk cancer. Obesity and overweight, a risk factor for cancer, is higher in CH, and cancer screening is lower in CH compared to Ontario which may be linked to higher mortality rates in the region. Other factors within the CH region, such as low income, education, employment, and social support can impact health. According to the 2018 CH Health Check report, each year there are nearly 2,000 new cases of preventable cancer. It is recognized that the opportunity to be healthy is not the same for everyone, and is affected by social, economic, and environmental circumstances.
Health status data for Indigenous people are not reported separately by the CH Public Health Services. Although there is no cancer data specific to Indigenous people in CH, according to Cancer Care Ontario, First Nations people living in Ontario have a higher incidence of lung (females), colorectal, kidney, cervical and liver cancers than other people in Ontario. Cancer mortality is also significantly higher in First Nations people than in other people in Ontario.
Based on radiation levels and health data, CNSC staff have not observed and do not expect to observe any adverse health outcomes related to the presence the McMaster Nuclear Reactor. Access our library of health studies and third-party research.
If you would like more general health information and data for your community, please visit the following websites:
- https://www.hamilton.ca/people-programs/public-health
- https://www.hamilton.ca/sites/default/files/2022-11/health-check-report-2018_0.pdf
- https://profiles.cancercare.on.ca/Incidence/atlas.html?date=2018
- https://www.cancercareontario.ca/en/data-research/view-data/statistical-reports/ontario-cancer-statistics-2022
Conclusions
Our IEMP results are consistent with the results submitted by McMaster, supporting our assessment that the licensee’s environmental protection program is effective. The results add to the body of evidence that people and the environment in the vicinity of the McMaster Nuclear Reactor are protected and that there are no anticipated health impacts from the operation of the facilities on the site.