abstract of a PDF I found at Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Environment and Health. She came by and interviewed us a few years back. We don't drink much of the well water, but still...
"THE PUBLIC HEALTH EFFECTS OF ABANDONED COAL MINE WORKINGS ON RESIDENTS IN SOUTH WELLINGTON, NANAIMO
Biagioni, Karla
“The Public Health Effects Of Abandoned Coal Mine Workings On Residents In South Wellington, Nanaimo” in Martin J. Bunch, V. Madha Suresh and T. Vasantha Kumaran, eds., Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Environment and Health, Chennai, India, 15-17 December, 2003. Chennai: Department of Geography, University of Madras and Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University. Pages 23 – 31.
The direct public health effects of organic compounds and metals associated with drinking water are unclear, especially as only a small fraction of the daily intake of elements reaches the human body . However, surveys by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have “confirmed the presence of several organic petroleum and solvent types of compounds in drinking water effected by mine operations” . Among these pollutants are “suspect carcinogens” .
Previous studies have shown that in coal mining areas, the quality of groundwater decreases with depth. There is an extensive network of abandoned coal mines in South Wellington, and several domestic wells have been drilled directly into these mines or coal seams. In August 2002 the Ministry of Water Land and Air Protection calculated the quality of well water in the Cassidy observation well in Nanaimo. In this analytical report, substances in the well such as sulphur and iron were shown at levels exceeding the recommended drinking water quality guidelines.
I am currently researching the potential positive and negative impacts of abandoned coal mine workings on the health of residents in South Wellington, Nanaimo. This project will compare the health of two groups, a study group drinking well water, and a control group drinking the city’s mains water. The major objective of the data analysis will be to determine which specific illnesses are more common in the study area and in the control area."
