By Lynda Lukasik

There is no doubt that our city is undergoing transformative change. We all have a part to play to ensure that this change focuses on creating a sustainable, resilient future for Hamilton.

This means, among other things, pushing for the creation of good green jobs for Hamiltonians, establishing eco-friendly ways to move around our city and the protection of our prime agricultural land, so we can feed ourselves into the future.

All of these things require longer term thinking, rather than a fixation on short-term gain. While I hope for and try to do my part to work toward this positive future, I know there are significant challenges to be overcome to get us there.

One of the biggest barriers standing in the way of Hamilton’s transformation is pollution from our local steel mills.  These mills aren’t going away any time soon, nor should we want them to disappear.  Instead, we need to embrace a vision for our future that sets the bar high by demanding that steel sector players commit to the transformative changes necessary to be a viable part of a sustainable Hamilton.

We need these companies to commit to doing what’s right by making swift and substantial investments in their facilities to ensure long-term viability from an environmental, economic and community health point of view.

This call for transformative change is most relevant to the coke ovens, which are the most significant source of air pollution from the mills. In July, the province passed tough new standards for a number of air pollutants – including the potent cancer-causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compound benzo(a)pyrene.

The coke ovens are a major source of benzo(a)pyrene emissions to our air. Provincial air standards are set so that a carcinogen does not impose a cancer risk greater than one in one million. Standards also include an upper risk threshold that is the concentration of that substance that imposes a one in 10,000 cancer risk – a risk level that is not to be tolerated and should require swift action to alleviate emissions.

Over the past two years, air quality monitoring stations located in communities around Hamilton’s steel mills have measured benzo(a)pyrene at levels above the provincial ‘upper risk threshold!’

Company representatives acknowledge that aging coke ovens at US Steel and ArcelorMittal-Dofasco are in need of refurbishment or replacement. Replacement is a costly financial undertaking, but the alternative – ongoing operation of ovens incapable of meeting tough provincial air regulations even with upgrades – imposes environmental and health costs that a transforming city should not have to bear.

We cannot tolerate a scenario where community members in some neighbourhoods are exposed to higher risk of illness through exposure to contaminants.  What we do need are serious commitments from the foreign owners of Hamilton’s steel mills to speedy investments commensurate with the seriousness of the problems imposed by these ageing facilities.   Appropriate upgrading or replacement of coke ovens would represent a huge step forward in creating a more sustainable steel industry in Hamilton.

Such action would also go a very long way toward making Hamilton a better place.

Dr. Lynda Lukasik is executive director of local Environment Hamilton and co-chair of the Ministry of the Environment’s Regulation 419 (Local Air Quality) Working Group.

via Hamilton needs a cleaner, sustainable steel industry | Hamilton Community News.