Drowned spruce forests leached mercury contaminating 37 percent of surveyed Innu
Evidence
When man does the Creator’s job, it usually doesn’t turn out right. The black spruce forest that was drowned in the flooding died slowly. Natural processes of decay seemed to pull the heavy metals, particularly mercury, out of the soil. And in its dying breath the forest killed the water. By 1977, studies determined that mercury levels in the Smallwood Reservoir were elevated. Thirty-seven percent of the Innu surveyed had elevated mercury levels. The provincial government issued a bulletin advising people to limit their fish consumption to one fish per week. Since then, there have been no new studies done, almost as if the provincial government hoped that in not documenting mercury problems in the reservoir, the problems would disappear. — Winona LaDuke, All Our Relations, 337
Categorization
- XREF: Mechanism — forest decay pulling mercury from soil after flooding — parallels the methyl-mercury contamination from flooded reservoirs for the Cree in ch chapter context and Akwesasne fish-PCB chapters. — connects to: James Bay La Grande reservoirs now hold North America’s worst mercury contamination — Winona LaDuke, All Our Relations: Native Struggles for…, 342; Canada’s green-energy dams enable larger industrial destruction — Winona LaDuke, All Our Relations: Native Struggles for…, 371; Canada dismissed Innu harm observations as unscientific while compensating settlers for identical damage — Winona LaDuke, All Our Relations: Native Struggles for…, 306 (+2 more)
- recurring: this claim recurs 2 times within its source
Broader Connections
- Canada dismissed Innu harm observations as unscientific while compensating settlers for identical damage
#exemplifies(0.75) — Winona LaDuke, All Our Relations, 306 - The Churchill dam flooded nearly 5,700 square miles of Innu land
#expands(0.70) — Winona LaDuke, All Our Relations, 336 - Newfoundland approved mining on Innu land without Innu consent
#expands(0.70) — Winona LaDuke, All Our Relations, 366