30 years later, Grassy Narrows still suffering from mercury poisoning

30 years after a Dryden paper mill dumped 20,000 pounds of mercury into the Wabigoon River, with the Ontario government's permission, the people of the Grassy Narrows First Nation and Wabaseemoong (Whitedog) Independent Nations continue to suffer effects of mercury poisoning.

Dr. Masazumi Harada, a world renowned mercury poisoning specialist from Japan, has studied the effects on the Grassy Narrows and White Dog communities for over 30 years.

Not only have the effects of the poisoning not gone away, Dr. Harada has found the health impacts of mercury poisoning in Grassy Narrows people are worse now than in the 1970's.

Dr. Harada's first visit - 1975

In 1975, Dr. Harada found mercury levels in some Grassy Narrows people were over 3 times the Health Canada limit, and levels were 7 times the limit were found in White Dog.

Dr. Harada's most recent visits - 2002 & 2004

43% of Dr. Harada's patients from 1975 are now dead, including every patient who had mercury levels above the Health Canada guidelines in 1975 (50 ppm).

79% of all people examined in 2002 and 2004 (including many who were not originally tested in 1975) fell into 3 categories: having Minamata Disease, having Minamata Disease with complications, or possibly having Minamata Disease.

Among the people who had levels below Health Canada guidelines in 1975, 89% were diagnosed with Minamata Disease (mercury poisoning), or possible Minamata Disease in 2004, even though their mercury levels were now even lower than before.

Minamata Disease

Minamata Disease is a condition that arises from exposure of humans to methyl-mercury. Symptoms include:

• loss of sensation in extremities


• ataxia (loss of muscular coordination)


• tremors


• impaired hearing, speech


• tunnel vision

Mercury Dumping

Dryden Chemical Company, a chloralkali process plant, supplied both sodium hydroxide and chlorine used in large amounts for bleaching paper during production for the Dryden Pulp and Paper Company. Dryden Chemical company discharged their effluent into the Wabigoon-English River system. 20,000 pounds of mercury was dumped into the river between 1962 and 1970.

Less than 1/50th of a teaspoon of mercury per 8 hectare lake surface is enough to make fish unfit for human consumption. The Grassy Narrows community lost their commercial fishery, resulting in their employment rate plummeting overnight from 90% to 10%.

A compensation deal in 1985, reached after 7 years of negotiations, amounted to merely $8,000 per resident in Grassy Narrows and White Dog. Under the deal residents whose mercury poisoning is acknowledged by the Mercury Disability Board receive only $250 to $800 a month. However, the Mercury Disability Board acknowledged only 38% of the people Dr. Harada diagnosed with Minamata Disease, Minamata Disease with complications, and possible Minamata Disease. Residents of Wabauskang (formerly Quibell), have never been compensated at all despite reporting many miscarriages, still births, and early childhood deaths from mercury poisoning.

Health Canada stopped testing for mercury in Grassy Narrows residents claiming that it was no longer a problem because mercury levels have fallen below the Health Canada safety guideline. Dr. Harada’s study results “indicate that even being exposed under the safety guideline, if prolonged, it could cause

Minamata Disease (chronic type).”

Today, 40 years to the day since Ontario first banned fishing on the Wabigoon River due to mercury contamination, Grassy Narrows is pubicly making the following demands:

1. Governments must come to the table to make things right about the mercury;


2. Acknowledge mercury poisoning in Grassy Narrows, strengthen Health Canada mercury safety guideline to protect all people;


3. Permanent monitoring through funding for Grassy Narrows run environmental center, training for youth;


4. Stop the mills from polluting the water and air;


5. Restore Grassy Narrows control over Grassy Narrows Territory.

“It is heartbreaking to hear the stories from the community members whose health has been affected by the mercury poisoning,” Ontario Regional Chief Angus Toulouse said. “The people of Grassy Narrows have raised their concerns for forty years now, only to have these concerns fall on deaf ears. The health of these people, the waters, the lands and all the beings are too important to be ignored. It is time for the government to listen to the voices of First Nations and to their constituents.”

Read more:

Long-term study on the effects of mercury contamination on two indigenous communities in Canada (1975-2004) - Dr. Harada's scientific report

Fact Sheet - Mercury Poisoning of the Grassy Narrows and White Dog Communities

Mercury Still Killing in Grassy Narrows (Press Release)

Mercury poisoning lingers decades after Ontario river deemed safe (Montreal Gazette)