Report - Agence canadienne d'évaluation environnementale

Assessing the risks related to the project
Protection Engineers Handbook on protecting the public from the hazards of exposure
to thermal radiation. According to the handbook, the 2.5-kW/m2 value should be
chosen as an acceptability criterion to this end 1 .
Several departments and organizations were of the opinion that the 5-kW/m 2 criterion
is appropriate for assessing public exposure to the effects of thermal radiation during
a fire. In a MDDEP manual, the recommended effect threshold to plan emergency
measures is 5 kW/m 2 (MDDEP, 2002 2 ). Environment Canada and the ministère de la
Sécurité publique were also of the same opinion. This value is also used to the same
end in the Sandia report (Sandia, 2004, p. 38 3 ). Moreover, Mr. Phani Raj conducted
tests on LNG fire thermal radiation in October of 2006 on behalf of the US Transport
Department and the Distrigas of Massachusetts Corporation. These tests revealed,
among other things, that the 5-kW/m 2 value was a prudent value to use as a criterion
in regard to public exposure to thermal radiation (DA68; DA69, p. 4; Mr. Glenn Kelly,
DT8, p. 99 and 100).
However, the Panel believes it important to take into account vulnerable populations 4
when planning emergency measures. Consequently, it considers it appropriate to take
into account thermal radiation levels below 5 kW/m 2 for such planning. In this respect,
it notes the recommendation made by the directeurs régionaux de santé publique at
the public hearing for the Pipeline Saint-Laurent project regarding the thermal
radiation criteria to retain when planning emergency measures. In their view, the risk
areas around industrial facilities should be established within the 3-kW/m 2 limit
(Agence de la santé et des services sociaux de Montréal, de la Mauricie et du Centredu-Québec,
de la Chaudière-Appalaches and de la Montérégie, DM69, p. 21). For the
Panel, this criterion would have the advantage of taking into account in a preventive
way the margin for error that is inherent in models used for thermal radiation limits. It
would also have the advantage of taking the thresholds proposed by the CRAIM’s 5
into account.
♦ Finding — The Panel found that the proponent is in compliance with Canadian, US
and European standards in regard to the effect thresholds associated with thermal
radiation used to establish the separation distances required to ensure public security.
1. The Society of Fire Protection Engineers, Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering, 2 nd Edition, 1995.
2. Op. cit.
3. Op. cit.
4. These are community elements with a high-density level of occupation, and which may be difficult to evacuate
quickly during an emergency, such as hospitals, campgrounds, senior citizens homes, schools, etc.
5. Conseil pour la réduction des accidents industriels majeurs (CRAIM), Guide for the management of risks of
major industrial accidents, 2007, 436 p.
128 Rabaska Project – Implementation of an LNG Terminal and Related Infrastructure