For Immediate Release
May 24, 2023
Labrador West NDP MHA Jordan Brown brought his concerns about dangerously high mine dust levels in his district to the House of Assembly today. On nine separate days in the last month, the Department of Environment and Climate Change recorded dust measurements over the Maximum Acceptable Concentration; yesterday, the mine dust level spiked at 3.5 times the MAC.
Mine dust could contain silica, which can cause silicosis, a serious and irreversible scarring and stiffening of the lungs. Silica can also cause lung cancer, kidney disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Citing the recent spike in readings, Brown asked the Minister of Environment
to start enforcing the regulations holding companies accountable for their actions.
He then requested the Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology to direct government mine inspectors visit the mine sites and review dust mitigation plans to ensure the mining companies are taking sufficient and appropriate measures to protect the public.
“We cannot have another summer of mine dust blanketing the community,” Brown said. “Government’s approach seems to be to wait for rain to lower the mine dust levels. I call on them to do their job, take action, and ensure the mining companies are taking full responsibility for the by-products of their industry.”
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More information on the central monitoring station is available at this link.
For further information, contact Eddy St. Coeur, Director of Communications, NDP Caucus at 729-2137 (o), or eddystcoeur@gov.nl.ca