The cost of living with poisoned water
Youth in Grassy Narrows, a First Nation community in northern Ontario, are dying by suicide at alarmingly high rates. The small community near Kenora has a population of about 1500, which means many of its residents acutely feel this shattering loss of their young people. According to a CTV News article, community members link the high rates of suicide to poisoned water, which the community has been forced to live with for close to a decade. It means Grassy Narrows’ youth are denied their fundamental right to live in a healthy environment. The cost of living with poisoned water is devastating.
There is something in the water
Between 1962 and 1970, a paper mill upstream from Grassy Narrows dumped 10 metric tons of mercury into the English-Wabigoon River system, which is equivalent to the weight of a semi-truck. 1 Local fish, a primary source of food for the community, absorbed the heavy metal, leading to toxic levels of contamination.2 As a result, generations of Grassy Narrows’ residents were exposed to this poisonous element, causing severe health issues and disruptions to their traditional ways of life.3
The physical health implications of mercury poisoning include neurological and behavioural disorders, developmental issues, and other debilitating ailments.4 Unborn babies in the community face exposure to mercury passed on from their mothers through the placenta – an example of the intergenerational effects of the poisoned water.5 A less apparent – but equally devastating – toll is how the poisoning affects the mental health of community members. The prolonged exposure has contributed to a significant increase in depression, anxiety, and a sense of hopelessness.6
Both researchers and community members have also linked the contaminated water to the high rate of youth dying by suicide, which is three times greater than other First Nations in Canada. Before the dump of mercury into the water, community members reported no suicide attempts in Grassy Narrows.
The right to a healthy environment
Living in a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a human right recognized by the United Nations. This right is critical to the health and well-being of children and youth and can carry particular significance for Indigenous communities that have deep-rooted connections and ways of living off the land. As the world manoeuvres through an environmental and climate crisis, youth like those in Grassy Narrows have their well-being and safety jeopardized.
The mercury poisoning in Grassy Narrows clearly illustrates a denial of access to a healthy environment, including access to safe and clean water. Historically, but also currently, Indigenous communities have lacked adequate infrastructure and access to clean water, which has far-reaching consequences. For instance, with no clean water, community members may lose their livelihood due to the contamination, which prevents commercial fishing.
Children have the right to protection, provision, and participation in matters that affect them (Convention on the Rights of the Child), especially in the case of Indigenous children, who are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of an unclean environment and barriers to accessing their rights and protection.
As a child rights organization, we recognize importance of children’s rights to live and grow in a healthy and sustainable environment. The current situation in Grassy Narrows illustrates the importance of a clean and safe environment for children as well as the negative implications for children and their communities when we do not make these rights paramount.
By: Yasemin Erdogan, Partnership Manager, National Reconciliation Program, Save the Children
Sources:
- Mercury Poisoning in Grassy Narrows: Environmental Injustice, Colonialism, and Capitalist Expansion in Canada
- https://freegrassy.net/learn-more/grassy-narrows/history/
- Invited Perspective: Linking the Intergenerational Impacts due to Mercury Exposure in Grassy Narrows First Nation, Canada – Environmental Health Perspective
- https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mercury-and-health
- https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mercury-and-health
- Northern and Indigenous Health and Healthcare, Chapter 4 “Indigenous Water Poverty: Impacts Beyond Physical Health”