From 1962 to 1970, an uncontrolled mercury discharge of between 9,000 kilograms (20,000 lb) and 11,000 kilograms (24,000 lb) from the Dryden Mill's chloralkali plant in Dryden into the headwaters of the Wabigoon River in the Kenora District of Northwestern Ontario occurred. It was described as "one of the worst cases of environmental poisoning in Canadian history." The contamination poisoned many people in the Grassy Narrows First Nation and Whitedog First Nation communities. The Wabigoon River forms a vast river system with the English River—which includes many lakes and tributaries—and together they flow west to the Winnipeg River. This 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 the ecosystem. Clay lake, the first major lake downstream from the Dryden mill, had extremely high mercury levels in predatory fish such as the walleye. These fish, which have been a staple food of First Nations people for generations, became unsafe to eat. Grassy Narrows and Whitedog First Nation communities were severely affected. For generations, many suffered with symptoms of mercury poisoning, including Minamata disease. An expert report in 2016 confirmed that the Wabigoon River was "still highly contaminated" and that "it can be cleaned safely". The Dryden chloralkali plant and the nearby Dryden Pulp and Paper Company were both subsidiaries of the British multinational, Reed International.
Background
Mercury poisoning Prior to the 1950s, the "scientific community was unaware of the effects of methylmercury on humans". In a 1958 article in The Lancet, two medical doctors reported their findings which confirmed a "link between methylmercury contaminated fish and human neurologic symptoms." Their research focused on what was then a "mysterious nervous illness" first noticed in a human in 1956 in a fishing village in Minamata, Japan. Odd behavior in cats in that area, later found linked to a strange neurologic condition, had been observed at that time. Although the first affected human entered the Chisso factory hospital in 1956, the disease had already reached local epidemic proportions by that time. A 1957 Kumamota Medical Journal called the condition Minamata disease. A 2017 Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) noted that while investigations in Japan had been proceeding in the 1960s and 1970s, a similar case of a local epidemic of mercury poisoning was unfolding in Northern Canada. By 2017, however, in Canada, problems have left the Grassy Narrows First Nation still grappling with the "ravages of mercury contamination". A 2016 CMAJ article on managing mercury exposure in Canada, said that the current clinical guidance on fish consumption is "poorly adapted to the circumstances of geographically remote northern communities, for whom mercury exposure may be greater." The article said that the fetus is especially at risk to "deleterious neurologic effects" of the toxic effects of mercury poisoning. The authors said that "most Canadians are exposed to mercury through diet, specifically fish consumption. Catherine Pirkle's team of researchers said that in northern indigenous communities there is "highly prevalent food insecurity" that is "associated with a rapid transition toward store-bought foods and decreasing access to local natural resources". The article said that current publications regarding the recognition of "clinically important mercury levels and appropriate interventions" is inadequate in dealing with "remote northern communities for whom mercury exposure may be greater."
Grassy Narrows First Nation
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.
Contamination in Ontario
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