Nova Chemicals says it is looking into the cause of a Saturday benzene release at its Corunna site.
Nova Chemicals says it’s looking into the cause of a Saturday benzene release at its Corunna site.
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The company posted a notice about 5 pm Saturday via Sarnia-Lambton Alerts that the site was responding to a hydrocarbon release. A second notice about 6 pm gave the all-clear.
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“Nova’s investigation. . . continues, and our current understanding is that a pump seal failed,” Nova said in a statement. “The incident resulted in a release of benzene.”
Once the release was identified, it was immediately isolated and continuous air monitoring at multiple locations showed no off-site readings, the company said.
Ontario’s Environment Ministry was notified of the spill of benzene on the ground and environmental staff went to the site, spokesperson Gary Wheeler said by email
“During the site visit, the ministry confirmed that the spill had been contained, cleanup activities were underway, and there was no indication of any offsite impacts,” hesaid.
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The site, which Nova says employs 450, is at Highway 40 and Petrolia Line in St. Clair Township. Its production of ethylene, used at other Nova sites in the township to make polyethylene plastic, was unaffected, the company said.
There is increased risk of leukemia from benzene levels in the air in some areas of Sarnia and Aamjiwnaang First Nation, according to provincial Sarnia Area Environmental Health Project report released in November.
An air exposure review for 2015-19, part of the provincial project, found the highest risks in the northern parts of Aamjiwnaang and industrial areas of southern Sarnia.
Nova said he contacted the Ontario Environment Ministry’s Spills Action Centre, as required, and the community about Saturday’s incident.
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“As a founding member of Responsible Care, Nova Chemicals is deeply committed to the safety of our employees, contractors, neighbors and communities in which we live and operate,” the company said. “Regulatory compliance, effective incident management and continuous improvement are key priorities.”
Responsible Care is an industry initiative, founded in Canada, aimed at moving toward safe, responsible and sustainable chemical manufacturing, the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada website said.
Nova said its response and investigation of Saturday’s incident will help further understand “how to prevent and mitigate similar situations in the future.”
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