Home · Environment · Pollution · Death on Tap: The Poisoning of Walkerton
Topic spans: 2000 - 2004
Death on Tap: The Poisoning of Walkerton
In May 2000, bacteria seeped into Walkerton's town well. The deadly E. coli then slipped quietly through a maze of pipes and into the homes of Walkerton, Ont. Unsuspecting residents thirstily drank the polluted water and bathed in their bacteria-ridden tubs. But soon after, they began experiencing common symptoms of infection; bloody diarrhea and throbbing cramps. Seven people would eventually die and another 1286 would fall ill. The investigation which followed exposed an alarmingly unstable waterworks system made fragile by government cuts.
13 television clips
10 radio clips
Town epidemic
Broadcast Date: May 24, 2000
Four people are dead and hundreds of others are sick in Walkerton, Ont. A strain of the powerful E. coli bacteria has polluted the town's drinking water. Residents first began experiencing symptoms one week earlier on May 17, 2000. Hospitals have since been flooded with patients complaining of stomach cramps and diarrhea. It remains a mystery how this happened. Schools and daycares are closed. Restaurants and bars are open for business but there are but a few brave patrons.Orange emergency helicopter ambulances descend on the town to airlift critically ill patients to a larger, specialized hospital in neighbouring London, Ont. Walkerton residents are distressed and demand to know why they weren't told earlier. Town officials are on the defensive and medical officers are baffled by this growing epidemic, as reported in this CBC News report.
Town epidemic
• E. coli is the short form for the bacteria Escherichia coli. This species of bacteria thrives in the intestines of mammals.• Dr. Murray McQuigge, the regional medical officer of health for the Grey-Bruce Health Unit, wrote in his final report on the tragedy that 2,300 people became sick after drinking the tainted water. Of this total, 1,286 of the stricken were residents of Walkerton — a staggering 26 per cent of the town's total population.
• Walkerton's emergency room treated 725 people in the last two weeks of May — more than double the average traffic the emergency room normally sees.
• McQuigge estimated that if an event like this had taken place in New York or Paris, 4 million people would have become sick and 14,000 would have died.
• As of May 24, 2000, the time of this report, four people had died. The timeline unfolded as follows:
- Lenore Al, 66, died May 22, 2000
- Edith Pearson, 83, and Mary Rose Raymond, 2, died May 23
- Vera Coe, 75, died May 24
- Laura Rowe, 84, died May 29
- Betty Trushinski, 56, died May 30
- Evelyn Hussey, 84, died of kidney failure as a result of the E. coli poisoning on July 25, 2000
• Water management in Canada is a responsibility shared by the province and the municipalities.
• Walkerton is situated 150 kilometres northwest of Toronto. In 2000, Walkerton's population was numbered at 4,800.
• One day after this report, medical health officials revealed that human negligence was the cause of the outbreak, as shown in this clip.
Town epidemic
Medium: Television
Program: The National
Broadcast Date: May 24, 2000
Guest(s): Graham Pollett, Pam Schlosser, Jennifer Stewart, David Thomson, Dianne Warram
Host: Peter Mansbridge
Reporter: Raj Ahluwalia
Duration: 4:32
Last updated:
Dec. 14, 2009
Activez le Javascript sur votre navigateur...
23 clips in this topic . page
Topic
When fish started turning belly up in lakes and streams, North America's eyes were suddenly opened to the consequences of pollution. But long after acid rain became a household word and Canada decided to take...
Topic
Bacteria-laden beaches, lakes choked with algae and fish contaminated by industrial waste: these have been symptoms of pollution in the Great Lakes since the late 1950s. With growing threats to drinking water,...
Town epidemic.
The CBC Digital Archives Website.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Last updated: Dec. 14, 2009.
[Page consulted on Feb. 12, 2012.]