The Quebec environmental group Société pour vaincre la pollution (SVP) says that train disaster in Lac-Mégantic has left extremely high levels of carcinogens in the Chaudiere River.
Their tests found that levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are an astonishing 394,444 times higher than the legal limit for surface waters mandated by the provincial government. They found levels of arsenic that are 28 times higher than government standards.
The Environment Ministry and the Transportation Safety Board have conducted their own tests, but have not released the results. The shipper and the railroad have not provided any public information about the chemicals in the tank cars, which exploded on July 6, killing nearly 50 people.