CANADA – NORHAM, ONTARIO – SEPT. 2006 – RESIDENTS BLOCKADE SLUDGE TANKERS - SLUDGE VICTIMS
SUFFER DIZZINESS, BREATHING PROBLEMS, HEADACHES, DIARRHEA, NAUSEA -
From: Maureen Reilly
To: Sludgewatch-l@list.web.net
Sent: Saturday, September 09, 2006 3:50 PM
Subject: Sludge Watch ==> Ontario Canada - Showdown over sludge heats up with tanker blockade
Tuesday August 29, 2006
by Brian Schuette
Norham – On August 16, Linda Donaldson awoke to news from her husband Roger that tanker trucks loaded with
sludge were rumbling down Norham Road. Again. The couple had hoped that after last spring’s assurances from
council to look into their request to ban the practice in Trent Hills, that they had seen the last of farmers in the area
spreading sludge from big city sewers onto their land. The Donaldsons claimed along with 14 other people in their
neighbourhood, that they had become ill within days of Bill Honey having the biosolids applied to his fields. Symptoms
ranged from extreme and protracted bouts of diarrhea and nausea, to dizziness, breathing problems and
headaches. Adults, children and even indoor pets were all affected and some remained ill several months
later. Roger himself was rushed to emergency by ambulance after collapsing unconscious in his home, he
believes as a result of contamination by the material; 156 local residents agreed with them and signed a
petition to ban sludge use in the municipality. Linda has had her blood tested for heavy metals, again
believing that it comes from the sludge, and her doctor has told her that elevated levels of chromium have
indeed been found in the tests. Other nearby families are now awaiting results from similar tests.
The tankers owned by Tri Land Environmental began offloading their slurry about 7 a.m. Wednesday, and continued
until past supper time. According to Bill Honey in an interview later in the week, 6,000 gallons of sludge were spread
per acre over 50 acres of his land. There was a brief interruption in the early afternoon, however, as Linda, Dianne
Cooke and Lilias Donaldson stood firmly in the middle of Norham Road, wearing filter masks and blocking the truck
convoy from proceeding to the Honey farm. Shortly afterwards, the OPP showed up to remove them from their blockade.