The soil in Flin Flon contains traces of harmful metals such as lead and arsenic, but it isn't making people sick, according to research commissioned by the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Company.
Earlier research showed the tailings from the smelting plant, which has since been shut down, caused the town's soil to contain elevated levels of some harmful metals.
This latest study, conducted by Intrinsik Environmental Sciences, took blood and urine samples from 400 children to see if they were affected by any health hazards associated with the metals in the soil.
The study's authors reported that they found the metals posed no significant health risk to the children.
However, Elliot Sigal, a senior scientist and vice president with Intrinsik Environmental Sciences, said the levels of lead found in the children's samples were a little too high.
"The levels of lead in the blood of children were slightly higher than study of children done in the U.S.," Sigal said.
The study's authors said they plan to do more research into the elevated lead levels in children.
