Mercury contamination in Grassy Narrows

rdf:langString Mercury contamination in Grassy Narrows

rdf:langString Dryden Mill

rdf:langString The Wabigoon river as it exits Wabigoon Lake

rdf:langString Dryden mill.JPG

rdf:langString Wabigoon river.JPG

rdf:langString Mercury contamination in Grassy Narrows, was the man-made contamination of the Wabigoon River in Ontario, Canada. The contamination was described as "one of the worst cases of environmental poisoning in Canadian history" and is linked to an uncontrolled discharge of between 9,000 kilograms (20,000 lb) and 11,000 kilograms (24,000 lb) of mercury from the Dryden Mill's chloralkali plant in Dryden into the headwaters of the 235 km (146 mi)-long Wabigoon River on Lake Wabigoon in the Kenora District of Northwestern Ontario from 1962 until 1970. The Wabigoon River forms a vast river system English River— which includes many lakes and tributaries— together they flow west to the Winnipeg River. Numerous lakes in rivers in the aquatic ecosystem had "extensive mercury contamination" by 1970, leading to the closure of the commercial fishery and some tourism related businesses. The glacial clay of the area is believed to have facilitated the bioaccumulation of mercury in rivers and lakes in the ecosystem. The first major lake downstream from the Dryden mill—Clay Lake, 50 miles (80 km) from the mill, had "extremely high mercury levels in predatory fish" such as the walleye. For generations, the Grassy Narrows First Nation, have "fished Clay Lake and the river downstream." The walleye—the cornerstone of the local fishing-based economy" and the Grassy Narrows' staple food, were unsafe to eat. The semi-remote Grassy Narrows is one of 28 First Nations within the Grand Council Anishinaabe Nation in Treaty No. 3, a sovereign Anishinaabe Nation. The Grassy Narrows reserve, is less than 100 kilometres (62 mi) downstream from the Dryden mill. The Whitedog reserve is several hundred kilometres further downstream. Both First Nations communities were severely affected. For generations, many suffered with symptoms of mercury poisoning, including Minamata disease. Since the mercury poisoning, the Grassy Narrows community "have lived with the consequences of one of the worst cases of environmental poisoning in Canadian history", according to The Lancet. An expert report was released on June 6, 2016, confirming that the Wabigoon River was "still highly contaminated" and that "it can be cleaned safely". The Dryden chloralkali plant and the nearby were both subsidiaries of the British multinational, Reed International.