The New Brunswick government has set up a decontamination site and is holding a car wash for a third day after a chemical spill south of downtown Fredericton.
The province has confirmed the spill includes a chemical known as hexavalent chromium, which officials say does not increase one’s cancer risk if exposure is brief.
Still, the government says anyone experiencing skin, eye or respiratory irritation should seek medical advice or call Tele-Care at 811.
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Meanwhile, the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization (NBEMO) has activated Level 2 and an environmental consultant is on site to assist with the cleanup.
The province says the car wash is being held “out of an abundance of caution” for vehicles that drove eastbound or westbound on the Vanier Highway/Trans-Canada Highway between Fredericton and Oromocto — or on Vanier Industrial Drive — between the evening of March 4 and March 6 at 4 p.m.
“Beginning Monday morning, the entrance to the car wash will be accessible via Wilsey Road and the Exit 5 interchange of the Vanier Highway,” the province said in an update.
The province says the spill poses a very low risk to human health. It has not affected the city’s water supply and “local wells are not anticipated to be impacted.”
The government notes, however, that additional testing and monitoring will continue in the coming days and weeks. As well, remedial work will need to take place on the shoulders of the impacted roads.
— with a file from The Canadian Press
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