Dam Could Expose Hundreds of People to Toxic Mercury: Study – Sourceable

A new study says a hydroelectric dam currently in the works in Newfoundland and Labrador could expose more than 200 Inuit people to excessive levels of methylmercury, the most toxic form of mercury.

The report was commissioned by the Nunatsiavut Government, which governs an autonomous Inuit area in the province, to look at the downstream impacts of Nalcor Energy’s 824 megawatt, Muskrat Falls’ hydroelectric dam on the lower Churchill River in Labrador.

The team of independent research from the U.S. and Canada, including scientists from Harvard University and the University of Manitoba, found that flooding the Muskrat Falls reservoir could cause an “overall increase” in the exposure of local Inuit people, with between 32 and 200 individuals being affected depending on the clearance of trees and brush.

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