A new government-funded study was begun a month ago to determine the levels of mercury still present in the environment around the Grassy Narrows and White Dog reserves.
The lethal contaminant was first discovered in the waterways of this area more than 30 years ago.
“People are concerned about the levels of mercury in the fish,” said Dr. Laurie Chan of the Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and Environment at McGill University in Montreal.
“The communities [at Grassy Narrows and White Dog] invited me to go visit them last November. Both of them had very similar concerns,” he noted.
“It usually takes about 20 years or so for industrial pollutant mercury to go away. It’s about time to go back and do a more comprehensive study,” Dr. Chan added.
Grassy Narrows, located about 80 km north of Kenora, has a population of 1,000.
Mercury was first discovered in the English and Wabigoon river systems around 1970. It is believed the mercury came from a pulp and paper mill in Dryden.
This discovery lead to the demise of commercial fishing in the area—and the poisoning of local residents.
Mercury is known to cause a neurological disorder called Minamata disease, named for the city in Japan where it was first recorded. The disease is characterized by blurred vision, twitching, numbness, slurred speech, poor reflexes and balance, and birth defects.
The two Ojibway bands received a settlement in 1985 from the federal government and the mill, but the mercury was never removed from the water.
“It can never be totally removed because mercury is naturally-occurring in the environment. There is no efficient clean-up method,” Dr. Chan said.
In this case, he added, “the source is quite far away from the two communities. It’s in Dryden. The whole English and Wabigoon system is contaminated.”
“It’s almost impossible [to clean up]. It’s a pretty big watershed.”
Thirty years ago, Dr. Masazumi Harada of Japan conducted a study and reported finding symptoms of Minamata disease on the Grassy Narrows and White Dog reserves.
This past fall, he returned to the area to study the residents again.
His results have not yet been published, but back in February, Health Canada approved funding for a new study to be carried out by Dr. Chan—possibly because of negative reports from Dr. Harada’s study.
There are three parts to the new study, Dr. Chan said.
“First, we are helping them check out what the levels of mercury are in the fish in the surrounding water bodies,” he explained.
Secondly, Dr. Chan’s students will be filling out questionnaires with residents to find out how much fish people are eating.
Lastly, they will be “measuring mercury in hair samples collected from individuals to find out how much mercury is in their bodies,” Dr. Chan said.
“We are trying to help people make a public health decision on how to use their fish resources,” he remarked.
“We are hoping the mercury levels in the fish are not too high, and that we can find some fish species in some lakes that we can recommend for increased consumption so they can improve their diet accordingly,” he noted.
The study will focus on three species of fish in 12 bodies of water.
Hair samples will be taken from 200 residents, and the questionnaires will provide a consumption pattern. All this should give researchers a clear picture of how much mercury is still left in the ecosystem.
Dr. Chan expects to finish the study by February.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
