Individual Submission Summary
Share...

Direct link:

On the Beach: The 1975 Port Hope Radioactive Tailings Controversy

Sat, March 28, 8:30 to 10:00am, Delta Ottawa City Centre, Floor: 1, Ballroom B

Abstract

Since 1933, Port Hope, Ontario has been the site of a refinery that processes radioactive material. During World War II, it began producing uranium for the U.S. Manhattan Project and its technology and expertise were crucial for the creation of the first atomic bombs. After the war, the facility continued to refine uranium for both domestic and foreign use. Along with its output of radioactive products, the plant also generated toxic and radioactive tailings that drained into water, seeped into soil, and drifted through the air. Moreover, tailings were subject to intentional relocation when locals legally transported them with limited knowledge of their danger.

In 1975, after over four decades of production, the refinery faced a tailings controversy that drew national attention and triggered a significant government intervention. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation released a television exposé highlighting the indiscriminate dumping of refinery tailings. Investigations revealed that Port Hope residents had been using tailings in the construction of basements and driveways for decades and exposing themselves to increased levels of radon, which had been linked to cancer. Alarm in Port Hope reached its apex at the end of 1975 when Atomic Energy Control Board officials discovered a school in Port Hope with 20 times the accepted level of radon exposure due to the incorporation of tailings into its building materials.

This paper will examine how the tailings controversy unfolded in Port Hope and the scope of contamination the community faced. Moreover, it will show how the growing environmental movement, transnational exchange, and the changing Cold War world made 1975 crucial for addressing radioactive pollution both locally and nationally. It will emphasize how citizens and activists responded to national and international dynamics and prompted the federal government to act after decades of complacency.

Author