Independent Environmental Monitoring Program: Cigar Lake Operation

Our IEMP results from 2020 and 2024 are consistent with the results submitted by Cameco, supporting our assessment that the licensee’s environmental protection program is effective. The results add to the body of evidence that people and the environment in the vicinity of the Cigar Lake Operation are protected and that there are no anticipated health impacts from the operation of the facilities on the site.

• Interactive map and IEMP results
• Data table (Download CSV - 186 kb)
• Results: (2024)

¹ The < symbol indicates that a result is below the provided laboratory analytical detection limit.

² N/A – not available.

³ For radiological parameters (expressed as Bq/L, Bq/kg or Bq/m³) where no federal or provincial guidelines exist, our screening levels were established based on conservative assumptions using CSA standard N288.1-20, Guidelines for Modelling Radionuclide Environmental Transport, Fate, and Exposure Associated with the Normal Operation of Nuclear Facilities. The screening level for a particular radionuclide in a particular medium (e.g., water, air, food) represents the activity concentration that would result in a dose of 0.1 mSv/year, a dose at which no impacts on human health are expected. For more information, please refer to the IEMP technical information sheet.

⁵ For water samples, the results for non-radiological parameters are compared to the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) Water Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Aquatic Life. Where no CCME guidelines exist, Health Canada’s Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality are used.

⁶ The screening level for a particular radionuclide in food represents the activity concentration in food that would result in a whole-body effective dose of 0.1 mSv/year to an individual, based on the ingestion exposure pathway. This aligns with the methodology in CSA N288.1-20. The dose of 0.1 mSv/year was chosen to align with the approach used by the World Health Organization and Health Canada for drinking water standards and it represents one tenth of the public dose limit. A conservative regional Indigenous diet, including the consumption rate, was used in the calculations.

⁷ The screening level for a particular hazardous substance represents the concentration of that hazardous substance that would have to be present in food in order for one tenth of Health Canada’s tolerable daily intake (TDI) of that substance to be exceeded. A TDI is the amount of food that can be consumed over a specific period of time without significant health risks. The screening levels are based on one tenth of the TDI in order to account for exposure to the contaminants from multiple primary exposure pathways. A conservative regional Indigenous diet, including the consumption rate, was used in the calculations.

2024 results

The 2024 IEMP sampling plan for the Cigar Lake Operation focused on radioactive nuclear and hazardous substances. A site-specific sampling plan was developed based on the licensee’s approved environmental monitoring program and our regulatory experience with the site. We endeavour to incorporate traditional Indigenous land use, values and knowledge by engaging with Indigenous Nations and communities on the sampling plan. More information on this engagement is provided in the “Indigenous Nations and communities’ participation” section.

Samples were collected by CanNorth with the assistance of 2 CNSC staff members and a community land technician from Ya’thi Néné Lands and Resources in late August and early September 2024. Surface water and fish were collected at a reference station (East Brown Bay of Waterbury Lake) not exposed to the activities of the Cigar Lake Operation, and at exposure stations (Seru Bay and Waterbury Lake) that have the potential to be impacted by the facility. A surface water sample was also taken in Longyear Bay, another reference station. Labrador tea leaves were collected adjacent to the Cigar Lake Operation haul road (exposure station) and along the northwest shoreline of Waterbury Lake (reference station). Blueberries were collected adjacent to the Cigar Lake Operation haul road (exposure station), near the waste rock stockpile (exposure station), and along the Waterbury Lake shoreline northeast of the Brown Islands (reference station).

Radioactivity levels (radiological contaminants) and concentrations of hazardous (non-radiological) contaminants in surface water samples were within natural background levels ^{Footnote 1} and below the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment guidelines for the protection of aquatic life ^{Footnote 2} and the Province of Saskatchewan’s drinking water quality standards and objectives ^{Footnote 3}.

For radiological contaminants in fish, Labrador tea and berries, CNSC staff compared monitoring results to CNSC screening levels to ensure that human health is protected. CNSC screening levels were calculated based on conservative assumptions about ingestion of food and outdoor exposure, using CSA N288.1-20 ^{Footnote 4} and International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) Publication 119 ^{Footnote 5}. The screening level for each radionuclide in a particular medium (e.g., fish, Labrador tea, berries) represents the radioactivity level that would result in a dose of 0.1 millisieverts per year (mSv/year), or one tenth of the CNSC regulatory dose limit for a member of the public of 1 mSv/year ^{Footnote 6}. The approach used by CNSC staff to calculate screening levels is similar to the Health Canada ^{Footnote 7 Footnote 8} and World Health Organization approach for drinking water guidelines, where 0.1 mSv/year is also used.

With the exception of polonium-210 in fish, which is discussed below, the measured radioactivity levels for all radiological contaminants in fish, Labrador tea and berries were below the CNSC screening levels for radionuclides. Therefore, the consumption of water, fish, Labrador tea and berries is not expected to result in any adverse health effects from radiological contaminants.

The measured radioactivity levels of polonium-210 in fish at both the exposure and reference stations were within the regional background range of 0.02 to 14 becquerels per kilogram (Bq/kg) fresh weight ^{Footnote 1} and were consistent with the results from the Eastern Athabasca Regional Monitoring Program (EARMP) for the northern Saskatchewan region ^{Footnote 9}. The highest radioactivity level of polonium-210 in fish analyzed in the Cigar Lake area was 3.5 Bq/kg fresh weight in a lake whitefish sample caught at the East Brown Bay reference station. This level of polonium-210 is within the natural background range. The results also show that radioactivity levels of polonium-210 in fish in the exposure areas were not the result of the Cigar Lake Operation since they were similar to the levels detected at the reference station. This means that they are attributable to natural background radioactivity levels for the region.

CNSC screening levels were also calculated for hazardous contaminants. The CNSC screening level represents the concentration required for a representative person (adult or child) to ingest one tenth of Health Canada’s tolerable daily intake (TDI) of a hazardous contaminant from multiple food ingestion pathways, such as drinking water, fruit, vegetables and fish/meat. This adds conservatism to the assessment because it considers that the receptor could be exposed to a contaminant through multiple different exposure pathways. It is likely that only 1 or 2 pathways are predominant. A TDI is the concentration of a hazardous contaminant that is safe for daily ingestion by humans on a long-term basis. The CNSC radiological and non-radiological screening levels developed for northern Saskatchewan IEMP sampling campaigns are conservative and are calculated using ingestion rates for a regional Indigenous diet.

With the exception of selenium in fish, which will be discussed below, the concentration of hazardous contaminants in fish, berries and Labrador tea were below CNSC screening levels for hazardous substances. Therefore, the IEMP results support the conclusions from the EARMP and the licensee’s monitoring programs that the country foods in the vicinity of the Cigar Lake Operation are safe to eat.

The results of the IEMP show that the fish are below the United States Environmental Protection Agency guideline of 11.3 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) dry weight for selenium in fish tissue. The highest concentration of selenium in fish analyzed in the Cigar Lake area was 0.78 mg/kg fresh weight or 3.79 mg/kg dry weight in a lake whitefish sample caught at the East Brown Bay reference station. A concentration of 0.78 mg/kg fresh weight in fish is equal to 26% of the selenium TDI of 2.2 mg/kg fresh weight. The selenium contribution from other ingestion pathways, including water, berries and Labrador tea, was negligible. No health effects are expected from the consumption of fish due to selenium. This is because the highest concentration of selenium in fish was less than half of the conservative CNSC screening level, and the selenium concentrations in all other samples analyzed (water, Labrador tea, berries) were well below the screening levels. The regional background concentration of selenium in fish ranges from 0.12 to 3.03 mg/kg fresh weight ^{Footnote 1}. The measured concentrations of selenium in fish at both the exposure and reference stations were within the regional background concentration range. The results are also consistent with the results from the EARMP for the northern Saskatchewan region ^{Footnote 9}.

¹ The reference samples are taken in a location where there is likely no potential for exposure from the operations of the nuclear facility. The reference location is chosen based on distance from the operation and on meteorological data such as predominant wind direction or precipitation (for airborne releases) and water current (for waterborne releases). This allows us to collect local data that is representative of the region around the facility. The data is then compared with sampling results. This is especially important when background data, guidelines or screening levels do not exist for a certain contaminant or medium in a certain region.

Indigenous Nations and communities’ participation

We have made it a priority to ensure that IEMP sampling reflects traditional Indigenous knowledge, land use and values where possible. In addition to conducting routine IEMP sampling activities, we seek input from local Indigenous Nations and communities on our IEMP sampling plans.

In advance of the 2024 IEMP sampling campaign at the Cigar Lake Operation, emails were sent to Indigenous Nations and communities near the facility to notify them of the sampling campaign and to seek input on the sampling plan. We invited suggestions for species of interest, valued components, and potential sampling locations where traditional practices and activities may take place.

The draft 2024 IEMP sampling plan was very similar to the 2020 plan, which was developed based on input received from the Ya’thi Néné Lands and Resources (YNLR). In April 2024, YNLR submitted its comments on the draft 2024 IEMP sampling plan. YNLR interviewed community members who conduct traditional activities near the Cigar Lake Operation and found that there was very little concern with the sampling plan. The respondents identified some blueberry sampling areas close to the waste rock stockpile. CNSC staff incorporated these locations into the final sampling plan. In the field, a community land technician from YNLR accompanied 2 CNSC staff members and the qualified contractor to help collect samples during the 2024 IEMP sampling campaign at the Cigar Lake Operation. This collaborative sampling approach was done in an effort to build trust, build relationships and provide more information on the CNSC’s IEMP. We would like to thank YNLR for their collaboration.

We will continue to engage with interested Indigenous Nations and communities to ensure that IEMP sampling incorporates Indigenous knowledge in future sampling.

Focus on health

The CNSC reviews public health reports from northern Saskatchewan’s relevant health authorities and conducts health studies of uranium workers to provide further independent verification that the health of people living near the Cigar Lake Operation is protected. CNSC staff assessed various health indicators of populations near Cigar Lake using information from the Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (for northern Saskatchewan in particular), the Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority, and the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality and is the most common type of cancer diagnosed in Canada (Canadian Cancer Statistics, 2023) and Saskatchewan (Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, 2023).

Importantly, lung cancer mortality and cancer incidence rates in northern Saskatchewan were higher than in Saskatchewan as a whole for the 20-year period from 1995 to 2014. Other leading causes of cancer incidence and mortality in Saskatchewan were colorectal, female breast, and prostate cancer. The incidence and mortality rates of these 3 cancers have increased over the last 20 years in northern Saskatchewan (Phillips et al., 2017).

The rates of cancer often vary by region, and personal, social, economic and environmental factors influence health. On average, First Nation communities in Saskatchewan score lower than non-First Nation communities on community well-being components such as income, housing, labour force activity, and education (Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority, 2017). Importantly, higher smoking rates (for non-traditional tobacco use) in northern Saskatchewan impact cancer rates in comparison to the provincial average (Irvine & Quinn, 2019). Some northern Saskatchewan First Nations communities reported the smoking rate to be 79%. Decreasing tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure could reduce preventable cancer cases in Saskatchewan by half (Irvine & Quinn, 2019). For those who have limited exposure to tobacco smoke, radon exposure above the Canadian radon guideline (200 Bq/m³) is the leading cause of lung cancer worldwide  (Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Exposure, 2024). In the health region where Cigar Lake is located, the radon levels in 86.1% of homes were below the radon guideline, compared to homes nationally (93.1%) and provincially (84.3%) (Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes, 2012).

While there are no specific health studies at the Cigar Lake Operation, the study of Eldorado uranium workers (Port Radium and Beaverlodge) found that, overall, those workers were healthier than the general Canadian male population, except in the case of one disease – lung cancer. Lung cancer incidence and mortality rates were much higher in uranium workers. The risk of lung cancer increased with increased workplace radon exposure. This knowledge led to radiation protection regulations to reduce workplace radiation levels. As a result, Cigar Lake workers are well protected.

In 2017, the CNSC, the Government of Saskatchewan, the University of Saskatchewan, the uranium industry and other stakeholders launched the Canadian Uranium Workers Study (available here). This study includes all uranium workers from northern Saskatchewan and will provide information on the long-term health effects of workplace radiation exposures.

Based on current environmental levels of radiation exposures near the Cigar Lake Operation; the current scientific knowledge about the sources, effects and risks of ionizing radiation; and relevant local and provincial health information, we have not observed and do not expect to observe any adverse health outcomes related to environmental radiation exposures at the Cigar Lake Operation.

For additional information, please visit the following websites:

• Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit
• Saskatchewan Health Authority
• Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority
• Saskatchewan Cancer Agency
• Publications | Canadian Cancer Society
• CNSC Canadian Uranium Workers Study
• CNSC health studies | Relevant CNSC, national and international studies
• United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) | Scientific publications
• Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes
• Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Exposure in the Residential Buildings of Urban and Rural Communities

Conclusions

Our IEMP results from 2020 and 2024 are consistent with the results submitted by Cameco, supporting our assessment that the licensee’s environmental protection program is effective. The results add to the body of evidence that people and the environment in the vicinity of the Cigar Lake Operation are protected and that there are no anticipated health impacts from the operation of the facilities on the site.