Coal train derailment near Ashcroft causes water contamination.
ASHCROFT — A health authority in British Columbia says a recent train derailment that spilled coal into the Thompson River near Ashcroft has made water unsafe for consumption.
Interior Health medical officer Dr. Kamran Golmohammadi says both the coal and the chemicals used to wash the coal before it was transported poses a threat to the water supply.
He says the concern is that ingesting any contaminants from the coal can cause gastrointestinal irritation.
The health authority warns that anyone within 50 kilometres downstream from the spill should not drink from the river, and boiling water will not remove potential contaminants.
CP Rail has said boats, booms and environmental equipment have been brought in to clean up the coal.
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