According to the public and peer-reviewed study published in Environmental Science and Pollution Research —
one of the few on record about airborne VOCs in rural Canada — many
VOCs are either known or suspected of having direct toxic effects on
humans, ranging from carcinogenic to neurotoxic and that “combinations
of air toxics may have additive or synergistic adverse health effects.”
By analyzing the available data, the study authors were able to show
that the Abercrombie pulp mill (currently Northern Pulp) was a likely
source of the contaminants.