Inco and Alcan - Canada's worst air polluters
Published by MAC on 2006-12-10
Inco and Alcan - Canada's worst air polluters
10th December 2006
Canada's Pollution Watch issues a yearly analysis of pollution data collected by the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI).
Its latest report, released in October, cites Inco, followed by Alcan, as the two major culprits contributing to ambient air pollution over the whole country.
However, the true figures for all pollution sources must be measurably larger.
The release of toxins from mining and milling to waste rock piles and tailings dumps are not included in the data. (MiningWatch Canada is currently fighting with the federal government to rectify this omission, and will probably take the government to court next Spring)
Furthermore, the NPRI relies on industry reports of their own emissions and does little to audit their reporting. (For other limitations in the data see below).