As the French language service of Radio Canada reports, “water and children are under the microscope of researchers in Val-des-Sources” for Asbestos. From the report by Thomas Deshaies (translated):
It is in the well of the former Jeffrey asbestos mine in Val-des-Sources that researcher Francis Donati-Daoust from Cégep de Thetford meets us. The water is clear, limpid, but the researcher wears a protective suit, just in case. The fibrous and carcinogenic mineral, which was collected here for over a hundred years, could still contaminate the environment. By studying the water from the mine well, the National Asbestos Observatory hopes to provide data to promote responsible management of the site.
What was a mine until it closed in 2012 is now a body of water that continues to fill with groundwater. The streams that flow into the pit have a high flow rate, even in dry weather. “It’s the third deepest lake in Quebec”, exclaims the researcher.
By canoe, Mr Donati-Daoust has taken water samples at various depths. “We’ve already found a pit about 150 metres down. We want to study the quality of the water layer by layer.” The researcher wants to provide the authorities with data to determine whether this water can be used without endangering people’s health. “There is an enormous amount of fresh water,” he says. “Can this water be reused?”
There are currently no standards for asbestos in drinking water in Quebec. According to Louis Laferrière, director of the Observatoire national de l’amiante (ONA), this is because current regulations are more concerned with exposure risks for workers than for the general public. “We had very little information on public exposure.”
So far, the results have been encouraging. “Our water quality is relatively good,” says Francis Donati-Daoust. The researcher believes that the asbestos fibre is deposited at the bottom of the pit and is therefore not present in the entire body of water. “It is thought that these huge lakes act as huge sedimentation basins, so that very, very little asbestos fibre is found in suspension in the centre of the water.”
Similar analyses are being carried out at other mine shafts, including the one at Thetford Mines.
Read the full article on the website of Radio Canada (in French)
