![]() The Asabiinyashkosiwagong Nitam-Anishinaabeg or the "Grassy Narrows First Nation" and their downstream neighbours, the Wabaseemoong Independent Nations (then known as the "Whitedog Community of the Islington Band of Saulteaux") "sought compensation for loss of jobs and way of life. Lawsuits and settlements Grassy Narrows and Whitedog First Nations ![]() Dumping of drums of mercury which continue to leak is suspected, and field work by Brian Branfireun and others continues to monitor the health of the ecosystem. Health effects continued to be felt, even in young people, in the 21st century. Symptoms included sensory disturbances, such as narrowing of the visual field, and impaired hearing, abnormal eye movements, tremor, ataxia (impaired balance), and dysarthria (poor articulation of speech). Blood mercury levels were above 100 ppb in a significant number of individuals and above 200 ppb in several others. Several Japanese doctors who had been involved in studying Minamata disease in Japan travelled to Canada to investigate the mercury poisoning in these people. In the late 1960s, people in the Grassy Narrows and Whitedog First Nations populations started to have symptoms of mercury poisoning. Health effects Grassy Narrows and Whitedog First Nations Elders in the community recall collecting mercury from the local toxic waste dump by pouring water, then selling the collected mercury on the black market. This First Nation is plagued by numerous chemical affective disorders, including mercury poisoning. ![]() Clair River, affectionately called by the local population as "Chemical Valley". The Aamjiwnaang First Nation (the Chippewas of Sarnia) is located on the St. The airborne emissions of mercury continued unabated until the company stopped using mercury cells in its chloralkali process in October 1975 the company closed down in 1976. It was estimated that over 9,000 kg of mercury had been dumped by the company into the Wabigoon-English river system between 19. On March 26, 1970, the Ontario provincial government ordered Dryden Chemical Company to cease dumping mercury into the river system, although the order did not place any restrictions on airborne emissions of mercury by the company. In 1970, extensive mercury contamination was discovered in this river system, leading to closure of the commercial fishery and some tourism related businesses. ĭryden Chemical Company discharged their effluent directly into the Wabigoon- English River system. Both companies were subsidiaries of the British multinational, Reed International. It produced sodium hydroxide and chlorine that were used in large amounts for bleaching paper during production by the nearby Dryden Pulp and Paper Company. In 1962, Dryden Chemical Company began operating a chloralkali process plant in Dryden, Ontario, using mercury cells. ![]() Main article: Mercury contamination in Grassy Narrows, Ontario, Canada Grassy Narrows and Whitedog First Nations ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |