Harmac
This is the Harmac pulp mill in Nanaimo, seen from Gabriola’s Brickyard Beach. It’s the photo you’ll never see on those Gabriola tourism brochures.
I’ve been wondering what sort of environmental impact Harmac has. Is it a major polluter? Does it spew out nasty toxins, or is it mostly steam that comes out of those giant chimneys? What effect — if any — is Harmac likely to have on our health?
Noodling around the web to find out, the first article I came across was one from Business Examiner. It quotes Leonard Krog:
The New Democratic MLA notes that there are many within his own ranks who
would be happy to see the mill gone,because of pollutants it puts in the air and water.
But I tell them, either we produce the pulp here in B.C. under very tough environmental standards or by default the work will go to the Third World, where the pollution will be much worse.
[The article quoted above is no longer available on the Business Examiner's website.]
Oh, so there is a pollution problem, but we should be happy that it’s a not-so-bad problem here instead of a more serious problem far away. Huh.
Harmac’s environment page says they’ve improved their equipment and that means significantly reduced emissions to air, water and land.
But reduced from what to what? Claims without numbers and documentation aren’t very enlightening.
What I want to know is exactly what the pollutants are, how much of them Harmac produces, and what effects that pollution is likely to have on health. Does anybody know?
More web searching. I arrive at the Georgia Straight Alliance site, where their pulp pollution page explains how pulp mills damage the environment:
- they consume large quantities of fresh water
- they discharge toxic waste into the air and water
- they are BC’s leading source of airborne dioxins and furans, the most toxic substances known
- their effluents (liquid wastes) are a source of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, neurotoxins and other dangerous contaminants
They’ve got more information, but nothing specific and recent about Harmac, and that’s what I’m after. Hmmm. Where can I find the details?
Filed in environment,photos 5 Comments so far
5 Responses to “Harmac”
specialk on 17 Aug 2009 at 6:02 pm #
I can smell the mill at certain times, certain days. Smells kind of sulphur-like. I wonder if that’s the dioxins and furans going up my nose. No worries, years of this exposure surely won’t effect me later in life. Right?
David Bramley on 17 Aug 2009 at 9:01 pm #
I have worked at the mill for the past 20 years, and in an environmental capacity for most of those years. I would be pleased to talk to you and share with you what I know about “the details” of our emissions & environmental performance. Call the mill and ask for me.
Gabriolan on 17 Aug 2009 at 10:30 pm #
Thank you, David. I’ll certainly get in touch, though more likely by email than by phone.
And hey, Gabriolans: what questions do you have for Harmac or about Harmac?
Tina on 21 Aug 2009 at 12:30 pm #
The idea that the entire region (Ladysmith, Cedar, Nanaimo, Gabriola Island, Mudge Island etc) must suffer with Harmac’s pollution output all in the name to create jobs is astounding. Even more disgusting to me, and many other Gabriolans I’m sure, is the fact that Harmac is to start a second production line, despite projections that the demand is lessening due to economic devaluing of the product. When will the industry wake up and smell the sulfur?
Here’s a brilliant line from the Wed Aug 19th Nanaimo Daily News article written by Robert Barron:
“Forest Minister Pat Bell hailed the decision to add a second line at the worker-owned mill as “great news” that should provide “huge lessons” to an industry that continues to struggle.”
To see the article, go to: http://tinyurl.com/n6p6my
Thousands of people will continue to suffer with the unknown effects of the pollutants spewed out by Harmac every day, just to sustain 265 jobs. What if the mill site was turned into a huge paper recycling plant employing even more people? Just a pipe dream I suppose.
Reach For Unbleached is a BC based citizen’s action group with a comprehensive website outlining many of the risks associated with living near a pulp mill. http://www.rfu.org.
RAB on 01 Jan 2010 at 9:57 pm #
On top of the polutants that smell and some don’t, there is a lot of noise polution. What is the new management of the pulp mill doing about this? Are there plans to enclose those noise machines and reduse the noise? At certain times, I can hear like a plane taking off and the noise just doesn’t go away for 8 hours…I lived in the area for many years and since the pulp mill restarted the noise is unbearable.
When the new boilers will be installed…is there a hope for less noise? I would also like to know if there is a public schedule when the noise is high so that I can leave the house in advance and come back when is gone again.