Mercury levels still rising near native community

Levels of the poisonous metal mercury are rising in lakes where the aboriginal people of Grassy Narrows, Ontario continue to catch fish which they eat, according to a new study.

Symptoms of mercury poisoning abound

People who live there exhibit symptoms of mercury poisoning such as loss of motor function, tingling and weakness in limbs, difficulty speaking and swallowing. Residents believe developmental delays and abnormalities suffered by children are also related to mercury exposure.

A nearby pulp mill dumped mercury-contaminated effluent into the surrounding watershed between 1962 and 1970. A recent review of all published research on the subject indicates little is known about the consequences of that both to the environment and people’s health.

‘Staggering levels of mercury’

“Staggering levels of mercury” are buried in the sediment of Clay Lake and sites downstream show a trend of increasing surface sediment, said scientist Patricia Sellers to the public broadcaster, CBC.

Comprehensive health and diet surveys should be conducted, she suggests, and there should be a comprehensive discussion about remediation of the Wabigoon River that flows through the community. There should also be long-term monitoring of mercury levels in all lakes used by people and a review of guidelines for fish consumption.  These are just a few of 40 recommendation in the report.

Japanese scientists investigate mercury poisoning

It was Japanese scientist Masazumi Harada, who first rang the alarm about mercury contamination affecting Grassy Narrows First Nation in 1975. He had heard about symptoms that resembled those of mercury poisoning in the Japanese city of Minamata. And although he has died, a team of scientists from Japan continues to study the situation in Ontario.

The people of Grassy Narrows have tried for decades to get better diagnosis and treatment for the symptoms they continue to suffer.