Chlorine gas ‘leak scenarios ‘played out ‘DETERMINING... . WHAT , developments » -should «be allowed. ‘near. CanadianOxy’ s Amherst: Road chemical: plant. _ in. North. Vancouver isa 1 visk- ‘ based business. By fan ‘Noble. : ae _ News Reporter - Proposals are’ under, study’ to move more. people and businesses’ ‘into. the Maplewood area near, the’ plant. Getting an accurate read. on ~ What dangers the plant poses to the public i is a pressing issue. ~ , A’ CanOxy’ company .. report’ “reléased recently to the News exam- “ines ‘public. safety risks relating to ‘accidents that are unlikely to occu but: have high, potential . to. kill or : : cause injuries. ; «, It paints a grim picture: of. what “could happen in a worst-case scenario. The half- cinch-thick : report,’ completed in August 1994, says if) chlorine-storage tanks. ruptured within ~ minutes of each other — due to an earthquake for “example — clouds: of ‘chlorine, gas: with .a'5% chance of : killing people could waft over. the , - Lions Gate Bridge. . | ‘y ~; But changes to operations and the plant infra- ~ structure have already reduced the potential con- : sequences, said plant manager Brian Thornton. :. "The plant produces caustic soda, hydrochloric -acid and chlorine — a toxic gas that can pose a hazard at’ long> distances: Sif released into the atmosphere. |The. materials, «whose : final destinations include pulp and paper mills in B.C., are trans- ported on the North Shore by rai! and barge: CanOxy’s Quantitative. Risk Assessment Report looked at two scenarios. ot } The first details’a’ worst-case scenario when the plant had two, 600-metric-ton and one-300- metric-ton storage. tanks and a barge in operation. In* the other case, authors speculate. what would ozcur if only the 300-metric-ton tank was in operation and the barge was mothballed.:. “Currently, the company is operating - ‘at. a ; ‘capacity ‘somewhere between the two scenarios, : with 500. metric’ tons of liquefied chlorine stored 7 CO 0. “West aS However. Orest Sackney. CanOxy’ s vice pres- ident of operations improvement, said the plant - will try to move to the alternative scenario as long as reductions do not lead to more serious risks. For the first scenario. public risks were con- sidered high compared to risk acceptability guidelines. : For the alternative operations case, “the situa- tion is much closer to acceptable.” : : The acceptability of risk is based on’ Major Industrial Accident Council of, Canada (MIACC) /guidelines. : The guidelines allow for manufacturing, ware- . house and parkland development in areas with a one in 10,000 annual probability of death -for an exposed person;. commercial,‘ offices and low- Gensity ‘residential in areas with a-one_ in a 100,000 chance, and other uses including high- density residential in areas with aone ina million risk. : North - and ‘West ( Vancouver Emergency . Program ,coordinator Ross: Peterson said ‘the MIACC guidelines come from a joint govern- _ment-industry association. The “guidelines are “ based on the best knowledge available for what might be acceptable risks: he said. Ke Although he has a “fair amount of confidence” } in the guidelines, Peterson has asked for informa- ‘ tign on the ‘public health risks of the plant, instead NEWS photos Terry Peters and dinset) mike ‘Wakefield DEVELOPMENT PRESSURES are heating up around CanadianOxy’ s chiorine- -producing plant east of the Second Narrows Bridge “in North Vancouver. The inset photo shows firefighters at the CanOxy site after a chicrine spill in December 1994. NEWS graphic Jacqueline verso bey “ABOVE MAPS ‘show how far a gas cloud would trave! from: CanadianOxy’s plant: in case of'i : worst-case accident. The left map shows the result of a 300-kilogram chlorine release. The outar- most contour represents a 1% probability people will be kitted and the other contours represant a 5% and 10% probability of death. The right map outlines a release of more than 1,500 kitograms. Contours show the probability of death froma a gas cloud of 1%, 5%, 1 10%, 50%, and 90%. of simply. information on fatalities. To determine the plant’s non-lethal effects _— which. range from mild:to severe ear, nose and throat problems —. Peterson needs. information - on the concentrations of chemical gas used in determining fatalities. “Their information on concentratio:.. of gases at varying distances from the plant-may be of more use to us than the fatality-based conclusions of the report,” Peterson told the News. CanOxy has indicated it will provide the - information, Peterson said. ; He said the public and district | must weigh — whether the risk to people is acceptable in terms " of what development is allowed in the area. But what about the people already living in the area? Two nearby residents of the plant contacted by the News sit on opposite sides of the CanOxy fence.’ | Christine Fletcher, 15, said her. family does not worry about a catastrophe at the plant, even though Christine's school: had to be evacuated due to a spill at CanOxy. . “[ don’t think it will happen,” she said. *~ Samantha Staff, however, ‘does. worry “and / would prefer,to sce the: “stinky” plant moved. : CanOxy's - most recent ‘accident involved | av _ release of 180 kilograrns (400 Ibs.) of liquid chlo- tine in December 1a. “members. of the ©. “to be. fully: informed between _ . CanadianOxy to The: Province ‘existed mayor ‘THE UNAUTHORIZED “rélease of - information by a North “classified” Vancouver District coun- ‘cillor has Mayor Murray -Dykeman hopping mad. NORTH VANCOUVER “DISTRICT COUNCIL. By Martin Millerchip At Monday night’s council . meeting, Dykeman:took the unusual step of reading a pre- ‘pared statement into the record concerning’ the release of a. report by CanadianOxy Chemicals Ltd, on risks associ- ated with'the manufacture and - storage of. chlorine on the - North Vancouver waterfrout. . The study was reported in Sunday's News, “Is is regrettable that . ‘ Councillor (Emie) Crist chose selective inforniation ‘thus: poten- tially caus- ing much, eoncern : i} moon g ee ‘NVD.. MAYOR public: Dykeman... material was’: confidential. who deserve about this complex: issue.” said ! Dykeman. ‘ Dykeman maintains: that ‘Crist violated council proce- dure by releasing information from a “shirtsleeve meeting” council and- newspaper last week. .The May. 2 meeting, according to Dykeman, was to discuss public. distribution: of. CanadianOxy’s Quantitative. “Risk Assessment Study. *: “The information was clas-.: : sified : as confidential ‘at’ ‘the - start of the meeting,” Dykeman told the News... But Crist:.has- a ‘different version’ of . the meeting and maintains that there is a differ- ence’ between a “shirtsteeve”, and an “in-camera” discussion. - “asked the question, is this : classified: information?. ‘No ‘it is not. Will you release it? ‘We = have already released it.” >. Crist ‘told ‘the News he became aware that the. report" in -December.. and. claims there has been a con-:: spiracy between the mayor and: CanadianOxy to withhold the report's general release. 7 “TD madea public motion in ‘ ‘January asking for its release. ' Staff phoned CanOxy and they See Report pa, ge 5.