Bruce Campbell broke into tears Feb. 1 while talking about the dilemma that continues to haunt him and his family.
The Campbells moved from their farm home near Tilston, Man., last weekend due to concerns about toxic gases. They are now renting a home in Reston, hoping the move is temporary.
“The people of the community have been really helpful,” said Campbell, a father of three children. “Now that I’m in trouble, all these people are coming out of the woodwork and helping me.”
Campbell’s oldest son collapsed last summer after exposure to sulfur dioxide. It was one of several incidents in recent years that suggest gases threaten the health of the farm family.
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Manitoba Environment installed a sulfur dioxide monitor at the farm last summer, but has been unable to pinpoint the source of the gases. The Campbell family points to a nearby oil battery, owned by Tundra Oil and Gas, as a possible source.
At a meeting Jan. 29, several parties involved with the issue gathered to share their views. Three provincial departments were represented, along with Bob Puchniak, president of Tundra Oil and Gas.
In an interview, Puchniak described the meeting as cordial and productive. He maintains the company’s oil battery at Tilston is not the source of gases afflicting the Campbell family.
“That’s what the people in the field are telling me, and we haven’t had any evidence to the contrary.”
However, Puchniak said Tundra plans to hire third-party consultants to review the Tilston battery. Among other things, the scientists will analyze the efficiency of the burner and the types of gases emitted from the flaring stack.
“We need to do some of these things to put people at ease that there really isn’t a problem. We don’t want the situation to deteriorate from where it is today.”
Tundra burns off hydrogen sulfide at its Tilston facility. When burned, hydrogen sulfide yields sulfur dioxide.
Manitoba Energy and Mines attended the Jan. 29 meeting. The provincial department stands by an information notice it released to the media late last year. The department reviewed the Tilston battery and found no evidence to suggest a threat to livestock and people living in the area.
Bernie Chrisp, Manitoba Environment director for the Park-West region, said plans are afoot to install more government monitors in the area of the Campbell farm.
“We’re hoping to identify the source and to identify the levels,” Chrisp said in an interview.
High readings
He noted that in January, there was a one-week period when sulfur dioxide was detected by the government monitor in place at the Campbell farm. There were several instances when the monitor detected levels of five parts per million, which is well above levels considered safe by Manitoba Environment.
Puchniak suggested those readings are suspect. He said the government monitor was malfunctioning at the time because part of it was frozen.
Dr. Elise Weiss, a provincial medical officer, visited the Tilston area Jan. 11 to interview residents about health symptoms they might have experienced suggesting exposure to hydrogen sulfide or sulfur dioxide. Weiss found no pattern among the symptoms to confirm that exposure had occurred.
However, she said the symptoms described by some residents are known to be associated with exposure to those gases.
