Independent Environmental Monitoring Program: Port Hope Area Initiative – Port Hope Project and Port Granby Project
| Site name | Port Hope Area Initiative – Port Hope Project and Port Granby Project |
|---|---|
| Licensee | Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) |
| Facility name | Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI) waste management project |
| Facility location | Port Hope, ON |
| Land acknowledgement | The CNSC acknowledges that the Port Hope Area Initiative – Port Hope Project and Port Granby Project is located within the traditional territory of the Wendat, Anishinabek Nation, and the territory covered by the Williams Treaties with the Michi Saagiig and Chippewa Nations. |
| Facility description | The Port Hope Project aims to remediate and remove waste from the Welcome Waste Management Facility (WMF) and from residential and commercial sites containing historic low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) and other specified industrial waste located in the Municipality of Port Hope. The Port Granby Project aims to remediate and remove historical LLRW from the Port Granby WMF. The site remediation and waste removal were completed, and the project has transitioned to Phase 3 of the maintenance and operation phase. |
| 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 from 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019 and 2023 are consistent with the results submitted by CNL, 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 Port Hope Area Initiative – Port Hope Project and Port Granby Project are protected and that there are no anticipated health impacts from the operation of the facilities on the site.
On this page
- Interactive map
- Data table (Download CSV - 48 KB)
- Results: (2023) (2019) (2017, 2014 and 2013)
- Background
- Indigenous Nations and communities’ participation
- Focus on health
- Conclusions
- Related links
Legend
Port Hope Area Initiative
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, a dose at which no impacts on human health are expected. For more information, please refer to the IEMP technical information sheet.
4 For water samples, the results for non-radiological parameters are compared to the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) Water Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Aquatic Life. Where no CCME guidelines exist, Health Canada’s Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality are used.
2023 results
The 2023 IEMP sampling plan for the Port Hope Area Initiative – Port Hope Project and Port Granby Project focused on radioactive and hazardous 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 summer 2023, we collected water and sediment samples in publicly accessible areas outside the facility perimeter, and the samples were analyzed at the CNSC laboratory for radioactive and hazardous substances. Most of the water and sediment sample results were well below guideline values and were consistent with values from previous sampling campaigns.
Owing to historical releases from the Welcome Waste Management Facility, water and sediment samples near Brand Creek may exceed guidelines for arsenic concentrations from time to time. The arsenic concentration result of 6.34 mg/kg in one sediment sample at this location from the CNSC’s 2023 IEMP campaign is expected. The value at this location is slightly above the CCME’s interim sediment quality guideline of 5.9 mg/kg for arsenic, but is below both the arsenic value measured during the 2013 IEMP campaign (16.23 mg/kg) and the CCME’s probable effects level for aquatic organisms (17 mg/kg). Guideline values are set well below levels that are expected to cause effects to the environment or to people’s health. There are no adverse effects expected from this level of arsenic in sediment, and the arsenic concentrations in the environment are expected to improve following remediation and commissioning of the Long-Term Waste Management Facility (LTWMF) and Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Total dissolved solids (TDS) measured above Health Canada’s Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality for 3 of the water samples collected in 2023. TDS is a laboratory measurement for water samples to determine the amount of minerals present, such as calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, carbonate, bicarbonate, chloride, sulphate and nitrate. These minerals may impair the taste, odour or colour of water and may result in excessive scaling in water pipes, water heaters, boilers and appliances. Health Canada’s guideline for TDS is an aesthetic objective rather than a health-based benchmark. The TDS values in water samples do not pose any risk to public health or the environment.
Background
Under the NSCA, licensees of nuclear facilities are required to implement an environmental monitoring program to demonstrate that the public and the environment are protected from emissions related to the facilities' nuclear activities. The results of these monitoring programs are evaluated by the CNSC to ensure compliance with applicable guidelines and limits, as set out in the regulations that govern Canada's nuclear industry.
The CNSC conducts extensive ongoing compliance verification activities of licensees’ programs. The CNSC also implements the IEMP, which is separate from but complementary to these ongoing compliance verification activities, to provide added confirmation that the public and the environment around licensed nuclear facilities are protected. The IEMP involves taking samples from public areas around the facilities to measure and analyze the amount of radioactive (nuclear) and hazardous substances in those samples. CNSC staff collect the samples and send them to the CNSC’s independent laboratory for testing and analysis. Since the implementation of the IEMP, the areas outside the Welcome and Port Granby WMF site perimeters have been sampled a number of times, in 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2019.
2019 results
CNSC staff taking a water sample from the shoreline of Lake Ontario in Port Hope
The 2019 IEMP sampling plan for the Welcome and Port Granby WMF sites focused on both radioactive and hazardous substances [see table above]. A site-specific sampling plan was developed based on CNL’s environmental monitoring program and the CNSC’s regulatory experience with the sites. Samples, including water and sediment, were collected in publicly accessible areas outside the perimeter of the Welcome and Port Granby WMF sites.
The measured radioactivity of radium-226 in water samples was below the levels set out in federal and provincial environmental quality guidelines and standards. Similarly, the measured radioactivity of radium-226 in sediment samples was below CNSC screening levels, which are based on conservative assumptions about the exposure that would result in a dose of 0.1 mSv per year. At this dose level, which represents one-tenth of the CNSC's regulatory dose limit of 1 mSv per year for members of the public, no health impacts are expected.
In some 2019 samples of sediment and water, low levels of arsenic continued to be observed. For example, some samples collected at the Brand Creek sampling location were above guidelines for arsenic concentrations. These levels of arsenic are the result of historical releases from the Welcome WMF. Although the arsenic concentration of 6.44 mg/kg observed in 2019 is above the CCME interim sediment quality guideline of 5.9 mg/kg, it is significantly below both the maximum value of 16.23 mg/kg measured in 2013 and the CCME probable effects level for aquatic organisms (17 mg/kg). This means that arsenic levels, while above the CCME guideline, continue to decrease over time and adverse biological effects to aquatic organisms are not likely. Arsenic concentrations in sediment and water are expected to continue to decrease further (to below the CCME guidelines) following the remediation of the surrounding area and the commissioning of the LTWMF and the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
It should be noted that there are no federal or provincial environmental quality guidelines or standards for sediment uranium concentrations. Samples that were collected from Brand Creek and analyzed for uranium show values that are well below the applicable lower effects level (104.4 mg/kg, Thompson et al, 2005), and only 2 (2.40 and 3.10 mg/kg) of the 14 samples collected since 2013 were marginally above the reference site values (WG08-SE05, 1.24–1.6 mg/kg). As a result, CNSC staff are confident that there is limited potential for risk to the public or environment from PHAI sediment uranium concentrations. Total dissolved solids (TDS) is composed of calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, carbonate, bicarbonate, chloride, sulphate and nitrate, which may impair the taste, odour or colour of water and result in excessive scaling in water pipes, water heaters, boilers and appliances. Given that the guidelines for TDS in water are an aesthetic objective rather than a health-based benchmark, the measured values of TDS in water samples for 2019 do not pose any risk to public health and the environment.
The applicable CCME range for phosphorus in water for nearshore areas of Lake Ontario is 10–20 µg/L (micrograms per litre). The maximum measured phosphorus level for 2019 IEMP sampling (WG05-W06) was reported to be 14.96 µg/L, which is within the CCME range. Therefore, risk to the environment is negligible.
Past results
The 2013, 2014 and 2017 IEMP sampling plans for the Port Hope and Port Granby project sites were similar to the 2019 IEMP sampling plan, in that CNSC staff collected water and sediment samples in publicly accessible areas outside the site perimeters during those sampling years.
In 2013, 2014 and 2017, the results for radioactive substances were below federal and provincial environmental quality guidelines and standards.
The results for analyzed hazardous substances were below federal and provincial environmental quality guidelines and standards, with the exception of arsenic in water and sediment and TDS in water along Brand Creek in 2013, 2014, 2017. The slightly elevated arsenic concentrations measured in water and sediment samples along Brand Creek are consistent with monitoring results reported by the licensee. The federal guideline for TDS is an aesthetic objective only and the results measured do not pose any risk to the environment or human health. Even when arsenic and TDS concentrations are considered, the results are still indicative of levels at which no adverse health effects are expected. The elevated results for the hazardous substances reflect the influence of the historical releases and known contamination in the area. These elevated concentrations are expected to improve following the environmental clean-up activities and remediation of the surrounding area.
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 conducting 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 around the Port Hope Area Initiative – Port Hope Project and Port Granby Project, emails were sent to Indigenous Nations and communities near the facility to notify them of the sampling campaign. We invited suggestions for species of interest, valued components, and potential sampling locations where traditional practices and activities may take place.
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
We review the results of existing health reports and data, review international publications, and at times conduct our own health studies to provide further independent verification that the health of people in and around the Port Hope Area Initiative is protected.
People living around the PHAI sites are monitored by the Durham Region Health Department and the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (HKPR) District Health Unit. Most recent population and community health studies indicate that common causes of death among these populations include cancers, diseases of the circulatory system, injuries, mental and behavioural disorders, and diseases of the respiratory system. This is similar to the rest of Ontario and Canada, where cancers and heart disease are the 2 leading causes of death.
Within Durham Region, the most common cancers between 2010 and 2018 were breast, lung, prostate and colorectal, accounting for nearly half of all cancer cases. This is comparable to cancer incidence statistics for the general Canadian population. Some variance is observed when compared to Ontario averages, such as a higher incidence of lung and prostate cancers and a lower incidence of colorectal cancer. Within the HKPR population, the most frequently diagnosed cancers between 2016 and 2018 were lung and colorectal cancer. Mortality from preventable causes, particularly lung cancer, was higher in the HKPR District than in Ontario in 2021, possibly due to generally higher smoking rates. Major health risk factors such as smoking, excess body weight, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity and poor diet may account for the occurrence of these diseases and play a contributing role in disease patterns across the province of Ontario.
Many health studies have been performed in the area due to the historical and current presence of the nuclear industry in the community of Port Hope, Ontario, where the radium and uranium refining, processing and fabrication industry has existed since 1932. Environmental and epidemiological studies conducted in Port Hope indicated that levels of exposure to radioactive and non-radioactive contaminants are below levels known to cause adverse health effects. Epidemiological studies provide no evidence of health effects as a result of past and present activities of the Port Hope nuclear industries. These findings are consistent with research studies conducted in other countries.
Based on the levels of contaminants in the environment, exposures to people living in the area, and relevant local health data, we have not observed and do not expect any adverse health outcomes relating to the presence of the Port Hope Area Initiative. For further information, access the CNSC Health Studies page.
If you would like more general health information and data for your community, please visit the following websites:
Conclusions
Our IEMP results from 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019 and 2023 are consistent with the results submitted by CNL, 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 Port Hope Area Initiative – Port Hope Project and Port Granby Project are protected and that there are no anticipated health impacts from the operation of the facilities on the site.
Related links
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