While Montreal is completely tennis, Saint-Sauveur players eat their brakes. Terrains in clay has been closed preventively on Thursday, due to an excessive presence of asbestos in the sandbags used for their maintenance.
Two agents of application of the Environment Canada Act asked that the use of sandbags stopped intended for the maintenance of land following a visit to cease, can be read in a press release from the city published on its website.
Unable to maintain the land, and fearing for the safety of employees and users, the administration has decided to close the tennis courts concerned.
Photo Marco Campanozzi, the presses
An analysis has shown that the sandbags used to maintain land could contain a too high asbestos level.
“A few years ago, a preventionist had produced a relationship with the subject of the bags [de la marque américaine] Har-Tru used, but there had been no investigation at that time. We recently took charge of the file and asked for advice from the CNESST, which advised us to have our bags tested, ”explains Jean-Philippe Gadbois, CEO of the city.
He explains that on sandbags, it is indicated that the present asbestos rate would be “equal to or less than 0.1 %”, while, according to the Canadian standard, rates must absolutely be less than 0.1 %.
It is the mention “equal to” which would have raised concerns in the preventionist, two or three years ago, he reports.
However, the analysis carried out by the City with the Lab’eau-Air-Sol laboratory confirmed that the asbestos rate was higher than the standard of 0.1 % and that it could even be the permitted limit, or 1 %.
Public health authorities were immediately contacted, said the director general.
Contacted by The pressthe Har-Tru company declares that although it has been informed of the test results, it has still not been contacted by any environmental or health agency in order to revise sampling procedures or to assess the results. If necessary, Har-Tru says he is ready to cooperate.
Current survey at Environment Canada
“The test says that the level found in the bags is between 0.1 and 1 %. We do not know what is the exact quantity present or if it is an isolated case or if all the bags are concerned, ”specifies the Dre Marie-Claude Lacombe, medical adviser in environmental health at the Public Health Department of the Cisss des Laurentides. “It is still too early to talk about effects on the population. »»
When the asbestos rate is greater than 0.1 %, employees who handle the product must have complete protective equipment, with gloves and glasses, explains the Dre Lacombe.
She adds that “there were preliminary tests carried out, this time in the field, which showed a rate less than 0.1 %, but [que] Additional analyzes must be done to ensure that everything is in accordance with ”.
An investigation is underway on the Environment Canada side, she continues, in order to answer these questions and determine the measures to be taken. This is why the clay bags of the city of Saint-Sauveur were seized by the authorities on Thursday.
The Dre Lacombe also specifies that the responsibility for the conformity of the bags returns to the federal institution, since it is an American import product.
The producer company did not follow up on our interview request, and Environment Canada did not wish to comment on the case immediately.
When the news has reached its ears, Mr. Gadbois directly contacted the forum of the Provincial Association of Directors General in order to know if they too used the implicated product. He also has a lot of gestures to take as a preventive basis.
I can tell you that I have received a good number of calls, it is really the product used for the majority of clay tennis fields, and no one was aware. It is believed that it is probably the only product used in Quebec, maybe even in Canada, for these land.
Jean-Philippe Gadbois, Managing Director of the City of Saint-Sauveur
“To quote environmental agents Canada,” he continues, “I think we got their hands on a problem that is much larger than us. »»
Surprised players
Met at the edge of the asphalt tennis courts of Saint-Sauveur, players say they are rather surprised by the city’s announcement.
Photo Marco Campanozzi, the presses
Louise Létourneau and her game partner Serge Levasseur
“I only play once a week, so I will not start to hide with that, but it is certain that it is not optimal,” says Serge Levasseur, who has lived in the region for three years.
Her game partner, Louise Létourneau, abounds in the same direction, but still worries possible consequences on her health, since it was on the different fields of Saint-Sauveur that she learned to play tennis, around forty years ago.
A small family from Sainte-Anne-des-Lacs exchange the ball a few steps away, on the neighboring asphalt field. Although he has never attended the clay terrain, Daniel Lachance seems to be concerned about this announcement.
However, he is delighted that the city takes the necessary means to remedy the situation.
