State of Environment Reporting

Toxic Contaminants in British Columbia

On-Site Toxic Substance Releases in BC (tonnes)

SOURCE: Environment Canada 2001. The National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) 2000. NOTES: In 1996, NPRI included by-products resulting in more pollutants being included in the inventory than previous years. In 1998, changes in reporting techniques for electrical utilities increased reported releases from previous years. Newly reported substances include 73 substances added to the inventory in 1999 and 4 new substances in 2000. The 2000 analysis does not include mercury and 19 new substances added in 2000, because they were reported at alternate thresholds. Acetone was removed from the inventory in 1999. NPRI on-site toxic waste releases is not an indicator of all pollutants entering the environment. Other substances such as greenhouse gases or pesticides and substances scheduled for ban or phase-out (e.g., chlorofluorocarbons and PCBs) are not included on the list. In addition, not all sources of NPRI pollutants are captured by the inventory.

Status and trends in toxic waste releases

• In 2000, 165 industrial facilities in British Columbia reported on-site releases of 122,078 tonnes of toxic contaminants to the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI). The pollutants reported in the greatest quantities were hydrogen sulphide (100,629 tonnes), ammonia (9,523 tonnes) and methanol (5,385 tonnes).
  
  
• Hydrogen sulphide (H₂S), is a newly reported substance, added to the NPRI in 1999, thus does not appear in earlier totals of toxic substance releases.
  
  
• Since 1996, permits for hydrogen sulphide injection have been issued under the provincial Waste Management Act.
  
  
• There are arguments in favour and against deep well injection of H₂S. Generally, it is accepted in BC that there is less potential risk to the environment from deep injection than might occur from processing the gas above ground and exposing air and surface water to treatment by-products.
  
  
• The decline in releases between 1995 and 1996 is largely due to the closure of one mining operation, as well as reductions in releases to air and water from paper and mining industries.

Why is it important?

• Human activities, including industry, transportation, waste disposal, agriculture, and forestry, release toxic substances into the environment.
  
  
• Once in the food chain, these substances tend to accumulate (bioaccumulation) and increase in concentration as they rise through the food chain (biomagnification).
  
  
• Low doses of some substances can disrupt the endocrine systems of organisms resulting in reproductive and immune dysfunction, developmental disorders and possibly cancer.

What is being done?

• The Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), requires Environment Canada to have a national inventory of pollutant releases and to publish the results. If facilities meet the reporting criteria they are required by CEPA to report to the NPRI.
  
  
• The Federal Accelerated Reduction/ Elimination of Toxics Program is a joint industry and government initiative to reduce or eliminate emissions of toxic substances through voluntary measures.