Environmental impact of the chemical industry in Sarnia

A 2007 Ecojustice Canada report showed that industrial facilities located within 25km of Sarnia, Ontario emitted more than 131,000 tonnes of air pollution in 2005.

"[2] A Lambton County document indicated that in 2005, up to fifty-five percent of ground level ozone and fine particulate matter emissions come from neighbouring United States facilities, which "play a significant role in air quality considerations on a regional scale.

[9] On May 17, 2024, after elevated benzene levels were detected at the INEOS Styrolution fence line and the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault issued an interim order under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act that would require Sarnia’s petrochemical facilities to implement vapour control measures, “including fully closed vent systems with vapour control on certain storage tanks that store benzene.” The order applies to facilities with fence line concentrations of benzene above 29 μg/m3 measured in any of the two-week sampling periods beginning on March 1, 2023, and ending on February 29, 2024.

Minutes of a meeting between Mayor Mike Bradley and Sarnia City Council state that "[t]he cost of repairing the raw sewage pumps is a significant portion of purchasing a new unit.

[needs update] This process is divisive because it necessitates hydraulic fracturing to extract the gas, which can damage water supplies and produce long-lasting toxic deposits.