Retrospective study of mortality after a water pollution incident at Lowermoor in north Cornwall
BMJ 2002; 324 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.324.7347.1189 (Published 18 May 2002) Cite this as: BMJ 2002;324:1189
- P J Owen, public health scientist (Pat.Owen@ciosha.cornwall.nhs.uk)a,
- D P B Miles, director of public healtha,
- G J Draper, directorb,
- T J Vincent, programmerb
- a Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Health Authority, St Austell, Cornwall PL25 4NQ
- b Childhood Cancer Research Group, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6HJ
- P J Owen
- Accepted 13 November 2001
Twenty tonnes of aluminium sulphate were inadvertently emptied into the water supply at the Lowermoor treatment works in north Cornwall on 6 July 1988. The maximum recorded aluminium concentration was 620 000 μg/l compared with the maximum concentration admissible at the time by the European Community of 200 μg/l.1
Highly acidic water entered the system, which distributed water to 12 000 local residents. The extent of the pollution was not fully realised for some days, and many residents received water containing large quantities of aluminium and also copper, lead, and zinc, which the acid had caused to leach from pipes.
A panel of experts produced two reports on the incident 2 3; one of the recommendations was that deaths should be monitored by flagging the health records of residents. The …