Soybean snowfall, sugar rain — you never know what industrial polutant will fall from the sky in Hamilton

You could almost make a cake out of the ingredients that fall from the sky over Hamilton.

Don't do it, though.

Because along with the odd rain of grain, sugar and - most recently - soybeans, residents living near the industrial bayfront are also likely to see fallout that includes dangerous pollutants like carbon black, coke and shredder dust.

Air pollution - and the sometimes-visible fallout - is a well-known risk in Steeltown. City air quality has improved in recent decades, but more than 115 spills to air" in Hamilton were still reported in 2020 alone to Ontario's Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks.

And now that agribusiness is a $1-billion industry for the city and its increasingly busy Hamilton harbour port, the list of pollutants - and foodstuffs - that might accidentally rain down on residents is also growing.

Sometimes, it's a relatively harmless" fallout, like the soybean snowfall that left a bemused Adrienne Van Halem posting now-viral photos of her husk-covered car in the North End at the end of December. A clogged dust collector at oilseed processor Bunge Canada was to blame for the bean blow-up.

I posted about it because I really didn't know if this was something that people in the area accept as commonplace," said the newcomer to Hamilton, who was relieved to learn the scattershot soybeans were not considered a health risk by the environment ministry.

(Bunge has fixed the problem and offered car washes to affected residents, so the province said no enforcement or further investigation is necessary.)

Van Halem said she loves her new neighbourhood, but added she researched the proximity to industry and realized the potential for accidents when she chose her new home. I'm prepared for the possibility of a future (fallout) incident," she said. I won't be surprised if it happens, which I guess is an unfortunate reality."

Here are a few of the most memorable Hamilton fallout" incidents in recent years:

A sweet mess

A malfunctioning dust collector at the Sucro Can refinery literally sugar-coated North End house windows and cars in April 2020. The crusty mess left on Traci McCaskie's windshield was like the sugar layer on top of a creme brulee," she told The Spectator.

The province deemed the fallout non-toxic and did not pursue a formal investigation after the sugar refinery promised to replace its dust collection filter bags. It also offered free car washes to residents with unwanted vehicular frosting.

Demolition gone wrong

A controlled collapse of the former Hamilton Specialty Bar building went awry and blanketed homes and businesses in a dense plume of dust in September 2019.

Residents worried about the health impacts of the massive cloud, which was visible across the city. It was like a bomb went off," said Mark Tharme, who was working at the nearby Cotton Factory.

Public health officials later said they found only trace" amounts of human health carcinogens like dioxins and furans in collected dust samples. They told wary residents long-term health impacts would be unlikely" as a result of exposure. A ministry investigation into the incident continues more than two years later.

Grain clouds

Carol Hoblyn complained to the ministry and city in 2016 after finding grain dust coating the inside of her 18th-floor apartment on John Street North near the harbour. The ministry confirmed it received several complaints that year linked to grain loading and unloading at the industrial port.

Although it sounds like an irritant more than a pollutant, the inhalable dust particles can be dangerous. Breathing in too much corn or wheat chafe is considered an allergy and respiratory health risk.

The port's two largest grain-handling terminals promised improvements, including better misting systems to tamp down dust and new unloading technology to increase control.

Salt pollution

Scott Howley routinely posts photos online of corroded eavestroughs and stained vehicles on Hamilton's beach strip that he believes are due to road salt blown off massive piles stored on Pier 26. He started posting photos in 2012 and complained to the ministry about a coating of salt on his vehicle as recently as last December.

The ministry said last year it is working with cargo unloading companies on best management practices" for salt piles at Pier 26, including covering unused piles and wetting the face of open piles.

Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority head Ian Hamilton also told councillors last year the organization is working with the ministry and its tenants to tackle the problem. I know it's not eliminated, but I am hoping there has been a noticeable improvement."

Black soot

Steelmaker ArcelorMittal Dofasco was fined last year and in 2018 over separate blast furnace failures that created plumes of dark emissions. In the earlier case, nearby residents complained about a shower of black soot."

Those longtime problems could become rare, however, if an ambitious - though not yet funded - company plan to phase out coal-fired steelmaking, shuttering coke ovens and blast furnaces, goes ahead.

Matthew Van Dongen is a transportation and environment reporter at for The Spectator. mvandongen@thespec.com