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East Beach park
contaminated
with uranium

No one is concerned

Why is everyone running for cover about the safety of Port Hope's East Beach park?

Why is no one telling the public that soil tests done there for Cameco Corporation show levels of uranium that are 400 percent higher than the guidelines for safety determined by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment?

The parks department wasn't aware of them when FARE presented it with evidence on March 20.

In the month since then, Mayor Linda Thompson has twice refused to meet with FARE to discuss the report, and she has not responded to our request to make the public aware of the test results.

She says only that Health Canada told her that "the uranium levels identified in Appendix J do not pose a human health risk." (Ask at the Municipal Hall to see Appendix J of Final Soil Characterization and Evaluation Study at Port Hope Cameco, submitted to the CNSC on June 20, 2008)

But that's not true. The CCME sets levels which represent a "no- to low-" effect level for the protection of human health and all ecological receptors," according to the Canadian Soil Quality Guidelines (1999).

The guidelines also say a site characterization study or a risk assessment should be done on any property showing high readings. That does not appear to have been done in the case of the East Beach park, which is used by children at the corner of Mill and Madison Streets.

Tests done for Cameco by SENES Consultants show readings of up to 98.3 parts per million of uranium at the park. The CCME guidelines set a level of 23 parts per million.

Those readings were sent to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission in June 2008. FARE discovered them in documents obtained through the Access to Information Act.

An April 6 letter from Mayor Thompson said "I have already expressed my disappointment to Cameco and the CNSC that the information regarding soil conditions on the municipal property was not highlighted and provided."

That's not good enough. FARE believes any public users should be informed by posted signs that uranium levels in the soil at the park have high readings.

The CNSC should also do soil tests to determine the origin of the contamination. While the source of uranium in soil just a stone's throw from Cameco may seem obvious, the SENES report states that "the presence of uranium and associated metals can be tied to earlier waste emplacement activities (not associated with historic activities of Cameco/Eldorado)."

This cover-up by Cameco and the municipality cannot be allowed to continue.

Scary map shows
how much Cameco
pollutes harbour

CNSC says it must stop
before low-level clean-up


Does the CNSC
believe THIS??

It appears to go against
new scientific wisdom


CNSC mystery:
Was it qualified
to say we're safe?

Refuses to release
qualifications of experts


East Beach park
contaminated
with uranium

No one is concerned

Cameco lied:
CNSC orders it
to fix pipe

Treatment systems
"do not conform"


Mayor's views
on W-FIVE show
are inaccurate

Why do Health Canada,
CNSC refuse comment?


Write in to stop
Cameco reopening
polluting plant

Make them clean up
huge uranium spill


More and more lies:
Cameco's clean-up
branded 'deficient'

CNSC documents show
lots more may be wrong





What we want
regulator do do

Full clean-up needed
of leaking uranium


Dust emissions
top our concerns

No targets or plan
to curtail uranium


Too expensive
to clean up all
of our waste?

We need explanations
of delays, extra costs


FARE has issues
with SEU plans
at Zircatec

Questions filed to CNSC
concerning EA screening


Zircatec gets
blank cheque
from CNSC

No mention of concerns
registered by FARE


Rubber stamp
for Zircatec
and Cameco

CNSC ignores concerns
of nearly 300 intervenors


Here we go again:
CNSC fast-tracks
SEU assessment

CNSC changes rules
to limit public input


Evening Guide guilty
on "sitting on sidelines"

Panders to big advertiser
instead of serving people


FARE wins Canadian
Environment Award

Praised for stopping SEU
and accurate research


Uranium dioxide:
We've found proof
that it can burn

Despite Cameco's claims,
its own records don't lie


How to register
as an intervenor
for Oct. 20 hearing

CNSC coming to Port Hope
and they'll hear an earful


Poll: 78 percent of us
want a panel review

Council gets details of new public opinion poll: More oppose SEU than favour it

"Reckless disregard"
on fire protection

Documents show how CNSC dropped the ball, and why we need a panel review

FARE asks 44 questions
about CNSC draft report

Expects them to be answered
before environmental hearings


3 groups demand
independent review of SEU

May 19 press conference held at Port Hope harbour

3 May 2005 - CNSC response to questions about neutron radiation

Press Release 14 April 2005: Questions about Neutron Radiation

30 March 2005: Response from CNSC to FARE letter

26 March 2005: Letter from FARE to Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission

22 July 2004: Media Release
(As read by John Morand)

22 July 2004: Research Sub Committee Statement - read by Patrick McNamara


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Port Hope,
Ontario L1A 3W3

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Copyright © 2005 Families Against Radiation Exposure, Inc. All rights reserved.
Last modified: 15 April 2005

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