Harvard says N.L. government wrongly cited professor for planned methylmercury study

An official with Harvard University says the provincial governmentgot things wrong when it said a Harvard research lab would be conducting anew study on methylmercury levels near Muskrat Falls.

After five days of protestsat the Muskrat Falls site, the provincial governmentordered Crown corporationNalcorto increase the clearing in the Muskrat Falls reservoir an attempt to address concerns aboutmethylmercury poisoning in the area's wildlife.

• Nalcor ordered to increase clearing at Muskrat Falls reservoir
• Muskrat flooding still on schedule, government order will remove trees only: Nalcor

In an press release on Wednesday, the province also said that, "following discussions with the Nunatsiavut government, the provincial government will be requiring Nalcor to fund a further study, to be conducted by Dr. Elsie Sunderland's research laboratory at Harvard University."

But according to a spokesperson from Harvard, that isn't true.

"That's not the sort of work that Prof.Sunderland does or would do," Paul Karoff, Harvard'sassistant dean for communications,told CBC.

"What's being discussed now is follow-upwork that really entails monitoring.There are firms and people who do that sort of thing but that's not the sort of science she does."

Karoff said Sunderland has done scientificresearch in the past that brought her in close contact with the Nunatsiavut government, but added the research waspart of her work at Harvard and was not for anyone other than her own laboratory.

He insists her researchwas inno waycommissioned for Nunatsiavut, Nalcor or the Newfoundland and Labrador government.

"What's happening is two things are being conflated,"Karoff said.

"Some basic science that Prof.Sunderland did earlierthat looked at tracking mercury in the ecosystem,and a separate piece of work which involved monitoring the future impact of this particular hydroelectric project in this community."

Trimper's comments at odds

During a live interview Wednesday on CBC's Here &Now,Environment Minister Perry Trimperdoubled down on the claim that Sunderland was to be involved in a further study on mercury levels in the soil near Muskrat Falls.

"I think we need to do a a communications check because I can assure you, and everyone watching, that we recently received a proposal that we developed with Dr. Sunderland via the Nunatsiavut government to their interest in soil," Trimpersaid.

"We've been back and forth on the design of that."

Trimper saidNunatsiavutsent the proposal to the province, with the names ofHarvard researchers attached and that funding was requested to go forward with the study.

Perry Trimper on additional clearing at Muskrat Falls

8 years ago

Duration 6:07

Perry Trimper on additional clearing at Muskrat Falls