Coal train derailment near Ashcroft, B.C., causes water contamination
ASHCROFT, B.C. — 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.
Canadian Pacific Railway has said 29 cars on a westbound freight train derailed Thursday afternoon, and while no cars ended up in the river, some of the coal it was carrying did spill into the water.
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.