The presence of mercury in the water surrounding Grassy Narrows First Nations, as well as disease-causing bacteria in Shoal Lake 40 First Nations negatively impacts various aspects of the environment.
The dumping of inorganic mercury resulted in the beginning of a process called biomethylation, which is the result of living organisms within the environment reacting to the metal (Vecsey, 1987). This altered the inorganic compound into a more lethal, organic form and it is estimated this process could continue for almost one hundred years. The toxic mercury seeps into various organisms, starting with algae and making its way up to fish and humans.
Water quality analyses in Shoal Lake 40 First Nations, conducted by University of Winnipeg professor Eva Pip, have shown various forms of parasites and bacteria (Vuchnich, 2015). She notes the most detrimental of these toxins to humans are those produced during algal blooms of cyanobacteria.
