High levels of lead found in air near Kahnawake high school in Quebec

ENVIRONMENT High levels of lead found in air near Kahnawake high school in Quebec By Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman The Canadian Press Posted September 23, 2026 10:32 pm 4 min read View image in full screen A sign for the territory of Kahnawake is shown in Kahnawake, Que., on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes LEAVE A COMMENT SHARE THIS ITEM ON FACEBOOK SHARE THIS ITEM ON X SEND THIS PAGE TO SOMEONE VIA EMAIL SEE MORE SHARING OPTIONS DESCREASE ARTICLE FONT SIZE INCREASE ARTICLE FONT SIZE The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake has released preliminary test results it says show high levels of lead in the air close to the community’s high school. Lead levels when the wind was blowing west towards the community were on average 1.5 times higher than the provincial standard of 100 nanograms per cubic metre, the council said. However, lead levels were “well below” the threshold when the wind was blowing east, which was the case 80 per cent of the time, it added. Kahnawake is a Mohawk community on the South Shore of Montreal. The samples were taken in the eastern part of the community, close to the boundary with the town of Ste-Catherine and an industrial area that includes waste management plants. The community’s high school, the Kahnawake Survival School, is less than a kilometre away from that industrial area. STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT 2:05 Lead found in water on BC Ferries’ Salish Raven vessel Stick to the Facts Add Global News as a Preferred Source on Google to see more of our stories in your search results. The council is now working with Environment Canada for further tests and analysis. Mylène Ratelle, professor at the Université de Montréal’s public health school, said these early results should raise concern, but not panic. “It’s a yellow flag. It piques our interest, it draws our attention and tells us it would be worth looking into further,” said Ratelle, who was not involved in the analysis. The lead levels presented by the council in the tests when the wind was blowing west are around 100 times higher than the average in areas that are away from industrial areas, said Ratelle. Get daily Montreal news Get daily Montreal news delivered to your inbox so you'll never miss the day's top stories. SIGN UP FOR DAILY MONTREAL NEWSLETTER GET STARTED BY PROVIDING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, YOU HAVE READ AND AGREE TO GLOBAL NEWS' TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY. She added that even if that high concentration was constant,…