Lead Levels Exceed Provincial Standards Near Kahnawake Community

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake released preliminary test results showing high levels of lead in the air near the community’s high school. The samples were taken in the eastern part of the community, close to a boundary with Ste-Catherine and an industrial area that includes waste management plants. When the wind was blowing west toward the community, lead levels averaged 1.5 times the provincial standard of 100 nanograms per cubic metre.

The council stated that lead levels were below the threshold when the wind was blowing east, which was the case 80 per cent of the time. Mylène Ratelle, a professor at the Université de Montréal’s public health school, advised that these early results should raise concern and warrant further investigation.