FLIN FLON -- Shirley Neault loiters beside an array of charts and graphs that detail how the part of this mining town where she lives is contaminated with levels of metals far in excess of what's deemed safe for human health.

The latest health risk assessment data reveal the levels of toxic metals in soil are just as high -- and in a few instances, higher -- than a previous study found. But town residents like Neault aren't worried how it could affect their health. In fact, Neault, who lives close to the smelter and works for HudBay Minerals Inc., said it's just part of life in a mining town.

"People in this town, they recognize they live and work in an industrial community," Neault said. "They know there may be contamination from the plant, (but) it's not Chernobyl."

Neault was one of many Flin Flon residents who attended an open house at Flin Flon city hall Thursday to peruse the most up-to-date findings of an in-depth health risk assessment looking at whether metal contamination of area soil, air, drinking water, dust, snow and wild game could cause sickness among those who live in the area.

New soil data reveal the level of toxic metals in front yards and backyards in west Flin Flon, closest to the HudBay smelter, exceed the current guidelines for human health.

Samples taken from Flin Flon yards, vegetable gardens and sandboxes show that average levels of arsenic, a known carcinogen, in west Flin Flon are five times higher than the standard guideline for human health.

Average levels of mercury are 13 times higher than standard guidelines, and in some places the contamination of lead and copper was seven times higher.

Half the town's residents, about 2,500 people, live in west Flin Flon -- the older part of town where the smelter stack looms and spews out sulphur dioxide and other contaminants 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"It's quite elevated," said Elliot Sigal, executive vice-president of Intrinsik Environmental Sciences, the company HudBay Minerals Inc. hired to do the health risk assessment.

The findings in the soil samples are the first part of the health risk assessment, and the rest of the study is expected to wrap up later this year.

The assessment was prompted after a Manitoba Conservation study published last July revealed much of Flin Flon's soil exceeded standard guidelines for human health, and high levels of mercury, arsenic and lead were recorded in town playgrounds and boulevards.

The latest study found similar levels of metals, but west Flin Flon recorded higher levels of copper, mercury and selenium than the Manitoba Conservation study. Metal contamination in west Flin Flon near the smelter was much higher than in other parts of town and nearby Creighton, Sask.

Despite the findings, experts are still unsure whether the elevated levels of metals could be making people sick.

Dr. James Irvine, a medical officer of health for northern Saskatchewan, said it's too early to tell whether some parts of Flin Flon may have to take stricter precautions to avoid contamination or if remediation in some areas is necessary.

Part of the problem, Irvine said, is that unlike drinking water, it is difficult to determine how much contamination a person is exposed to through soil.

Irvine said the study will examine whether dust in residents' homes has elevated levels of metals -- a possible exposure pathway, particularly for children.

Depending on the outcome, Irvine said residents of Flin Flon closest to the smelter may have to be more diligent in cleaning their homes with wet mops to avoid airborne dust. He said families are already warned to tell their children to wash their hands after playing outside, wear gloves when working outside, and wash pets often and remove dirt from their shoes before they enter their homes.

The study found average levels of arsenic are nearly four times higher in yards close to the smelter, and average levels of mercury were 16 times higher in west Flin Flon than east Flin Flon.

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