Sounds like the death of a Dartmouth scientist when she spilled mercury on her gloved hand-- BBC on 'The answer cannot be nothing': The battle over Canada's mystery brain disease
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Archimedes Plutonium
Jan 10, 2026, 9:29:45 PM (6 days ago) Jan 10
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What kind of mercury and how much of it in Canada New Brunswick environment????
Professor Wetterhahn died from a spill of dimethylmercury, which seeped straight through her gloves, and died within the year. Her symptoms, if my memory is correct mirror reflect the symptoms spoken of in this Canada mystery.
So the question for me is-- have they checked for compounds of mercury in New Brunswick????????????????? Is there industry there that uses mercury??????????
Sounds like the death of a Dartmouth scientist when she spilled mercury on her gloved hand-- BBC on 'The answer cannot be nothing': The battle over Canada's mystery brain disease
pp
--- quoting BBC on 'The answer cannot be nothing': The battle over Canada's mystery brain disease ---
In early 2019, officials at a hospital in the small Canadian province of New Brunswick noticed that two patients had contracted an extremely rare brain condition known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, or CJD.
CJD is both fatal and potentially contagious, so a group of experts was quickly assembled to investigate. Fortunately for New Brunswick, the disease didn't spread. But the story didn't end there. In fact, it was just beginning.
Among the experts was Alier Marrero, a soft-spoken, Cuban-born neurologist who had been working in the province for about six years. Marrero would share some worrying information with the other members of the group. He had been seeing patients with unexplained CJD-like symptoms for several years, he said, including young people who showed signs of a rapidly progressing dementia. The number of cases was already more than 20, Marrero said, and several patients had already died.
Because of the apparent similarity to CJD, Marrero had been reporting these cases to Canada's Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance System, or CJDSS. But the results had been coming back negative. Marrero was stumped.
More worrying still, he was seeing a dizzying array of symptoms among the patients, according to his notes. There were cases of dementia, weight loss, unsteadiness, jerking movements and facial twitches. There were patients with spasms, visions, limb pain, muscle atrophy, dry skin and hair loss. Many said they were suffering with both insomnia and waking hallucinations. Patients reported excessive sweating and excessive drooling. Several exhibited Capgras Delusion, which causes someone to believe that a person close to them has been replaced by an identical-looking imposter. Others appeared to lose the ability to speak. One patient would report that she had forgotten how to write the letter Q.
Marrero ordered test after test. But he was at a loss. "I just kept seeing new patients, I kept documenting new cases, and I kept seeing new people dying," he recalled. "And an image of a cluster became more clear."
A look at the industrial port in the city of Saint John, New Brunswick, with the river and sky both prominent.
Many of the cluster patients believe industrial poisoning has affected New Brunswick's environment. (Chris Donovan/BBC)
Over the coming months, Marrero and the CJDSS scientists began to suspect that instead of a small cluster of CJD patients, the province of New Brunswick might have on its hands a much larger cluster of people suffering from a completely unknown brain disease.
Over the next five years, Marrero's cluster would balloon from 20 to an astonishing 500. But there came no scientific breakthrough, no new understanding of neurology, no expensive new treatments. Instead, last year, a bombshell research paper authored by several Canadian neurologists and neuroscientists concluded that there was in fact no mystery disease, and that the patients had all likely suffered from previously known neurological, medical, or psychiatric conditions. The New Brunswick cluster was, one of the paper's authors told the BBC, a "house of cards".
To report this story, the BBC spent time with Marrero and spoke to a dozen of his patients or their relatives — some of whom are telling their story for the first time — as well as key scientists, experts, and government officials, and reviewed hundreds of pages of internal emails and documents obtained by freedom of information requests.
We can reveal that at least one cluster patient has now opted for death via medical assistance in dying — legal in Canada since 2016. The diagnosis on the death certificate, according to the doctor who signed it off, was "degenerative neurological condition of unknown cause". At least one other cluster patient is currently considering assisted dying.
The research paper published last year could have marked the end of a strange chapter in Canadian science. Except, hundreds of the patients disagree. Defiant, fiercely loyal to Marrero, and backed by passionate patient advocates, they argue that the paper is flawed and reject any notion that the cluster might not be real.
Many believe instead that they have been poisoned by an industrial environmental toxin, and that the government of New Brunswick has conspired against them to cover it up.
"I'm not a conspiracy theorist type person, at all, but I honestly think it's financially motivated," said Jillian Lucas, one of the patients. "There's all these different levels."
Lucas first met Marrero back in early 2020, after her stepfather, Derek Cuthbertson, an accountant and military veteran, began experiencing cognitive and behavioural problems including sudden rage and loss of empathy. He was referred to Marrero, who ordered a battery of tests but was unable to explain his symptoms. Cuthbertson became one of the early cluster patients — the so-called "original 48".
Lucas had just gone through a divorce and suffered a bad concussion, and she moved back in with her mother and Cuthbertson in their rural community near the city of Moncton. Soon she began experiencing her own symptoms and went to see Marrero for herself.
"He ran so many tests, so much blood work and scans and spinal taps," Lucas recalled. "We were trying to rule absolutely everything out and we just kept coming up with more questions."
Short on answers, Marrero added Lucas to the cluster. Over the coming months, her symptoms worsened and new symptoms appeared. She experienced light sensitivity, tremors, terrible migraines and issues with her memory and ability to speak clearly, she said. She felt unexplained stabbing pains. Cold water felt scalding hot.
--- end quoting BBC on Canada's mystery brain disease---
CJD is both fatal and potentially contagious, so a group of experts was quickly assembled to investigate. Fortunately for New Brunswick, the disease didn't spread. But the story didn't end there. In fact, it was just beginning.
Among the experts was Alier Marrero, a soft-spoken, Cuban-born neurologist who had been working in the province for about six years. Marrero would share some worrying information with the other members of the group. He had been seeing patients with unexplained CJD-like symptoms for several years, he said, including young people who showed signs of a rapidly progressing dementia. The number of cases was already more than 20, Marrero said, and several patients had already died.
Because of the apparent similarity to CJD, Marrero had been reporting these cases to Canada's Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance System, or CJDSS. But the results had been coming back negative. Marrero was stumped.
More worrying still, he was seeing a dizzying array of symptoms among the patients, according to his notes. There were cases of dementia, weight loss, unsteadiness, jerking movements and facial twitches. There were patients with spasms, visions, limb pain, muscle atrophy, dry skin and hair loss. Many said they were suffering with both insomnia and waking hallucinations. Patients reported excessive sweating and excessive drooling. Several exhibited Capgras Delusion, which causes someone to believe that a person close to them has been replaced by an identical-looking imposter. Others appeared to lose the ability to speak. One patient would report that she had forgotten how to write the letter Q.
Marrero ordered test after test. But he was at a loss. "I just kept seeing new patients, I kept documenting new cases, and I kept seeing new people dying," he recalled. "And an image of a cluster became more clear."
A look at the industrial port in the city of Saint John, New Brunswick, with the river and sky both prominent.
Many of the cluster patients believe industrial poisoning has affected New Brunswick's environment. (Chris Donovan/BBC)
Over the coming months, Marrero and the CJDSS scientists began to suspect that instead of a small cluster of CJD patients, the province of New Brunswick might have on its hands a much larger cluster of people suffering from a completely unknown brain disease.
Over the next five years, Marrero's cluster would balloon from 20 to an astonishing 500. But there came no scientific breakthrough, no new understanding of neurology, no expensive new treatments. Instead, last year, a bombshell research paper authored by several Canadian neurologists and neuroscientists concluded that there was in fact no mystery disease, and that the patients had all likely suffered from previously known neurological, medical, or psychiatric conditions. The New Brunswick cluster was, one of the paper's authors told the BBC, a "house of cards".
To report this story, the BBC spent time with Marrero and spoke to a dozen of his patients or their relatives — some of whom are telling their story for the first time — as well as key scientists, experts, and government officials, and reviewed hundreds of pages of internal emails and documents obtained by freedom of information requests.
We can reveal that at least one cluster patient has now opted for death via medical assistance in dying — legal in Canada since 2016. The diagnosis on the death certificate, according to the doctor who signed it off, was "degenerative neurological condition of unknown cause". At least one other cluster patient is currently considering assisted dying.
The research paper published last year could have marked the end of a strange chapter in Canadian science. Except, hundreds of the patients disagree. Defiant, fiercely loyal to Marrero, and backed by passionate patient advocates, they argue that the paper is flawed and reject any notion that the cluster might not be real.
Many believe instead that they have been poisoned by an industrial environmental toxin, and that the government of New Brunswick has conspired against them to cover it up.
"I'm not a conspiracy theorist type person, at all, but I honestly think it's financially motivated," said Jillian Lucas, one of the patients. "There's all these different levels."
Lucas first met Marrero back in early 2020, after her stepfather, Derek Cuthbertson, an accountant and military veteran, began experiencing cognitive and behavioural problems including sudden rage and loss of empathy. He was referred to Marrero, who ordered a battery of tests but was unable to explain his symptoms. Cuthbertson became one of the early cluster patients — the so-called "original 48".
Lucas had just gone through a divorce and suffered a bad concussion, and she moved back in with her mother and Cuthbertson in their rural community near the city of Moncton. Soon she began experiencing her own symptoms and went to see Marrero for herself.
"He ran so many tests, so much blood work and scans and spinal taps," Lucas recalled. "We were trying to rule absolutely everything out and we just kept coming up with more questions."
Short on answers, Marrero added Lucas to the cluster. Over the coming months, her symptoms worsened and new symptoms appeared. She experienced light sensitivity, tremors, terrible migraines and issues with her memory and ability to speak clearly, she said. She felt unexplained stabbing pains. Cold water felt scalding hot.
--- end quoting BBC on Canada's mystery brain disease---
ppp
Archimedes Plutonium
Jan 11, 2026, 5:15:08 AM (6 days ago) Jan 11
to Plutonium Atom Universe
Yes, well it is a highly toxic poison. And the aberrations of the mind when poisoned by mercury are tell-tale. The complaints and symptoms by Canada's mystery brain disease reflect that of mercury poisoning.
I read the entire article in BBC twice and saw no mention of "mercury". I did see "glyphosate" herbicide and I saw "heavy metal" mentioned. Perhaps they lump "mercury" under "heavy metal".
The rapid decline of some of the patients suggests mercury. And mercury poisoning can be ongoing by eating fish. In the reports below is one report that mercury levels have not gone down in 46 years of testing.
Methylmercury in New Brunswick is a known issue, particularly in fish from the Saint John River system and other freshwater bodies, linked to historic industrial pollution (like chloralkali plants and paper mills), airborne sources, and natural organic matter, leading to elevated levels in species like bass, eel, and sturgeon, which impacts human health through fish consumption, prompting advisories and studies by groups like the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.
Key Sources & Locations
Industrial Legacy: Past mercury emissions from industries like chloralkali plants (one in New Brunswick until the 1980s) and pulp/paper mills contributed to mercury in waterways.
Saint John River System: Studies by the Conservation Council of New Brunswick and others found high levels in smallmouth bass, with some locations exceeding U.S. EPA limits in the 2000s.
Airborne Mercury: Mercury can travel through the air and deposit in water, contributing to contamination in areas not directly linked to local industry.
Natural Factors: Natural organic matter runoff from land can also increase methylmercury formation in water.
Affected Species
Freshwater Fish: Smallmouth bass, American eel, chain pickerel, perch, brook trout, and Atlantic salmon have shown elevated levels.
Marine Fish: Studies in the Bay of Fundy have looked at mercury in species like striped bass and sturgeon.
Health Concerns & Impact
Bioaccumulation: Methylmercury builds up in fish and concentrates up the food chain, posing risks to predators and humans.
Health Effects: Long-term exposure can harm the nervous, digestive, and immune systems, affecting vision, hearing, and coordination.
Indigenous Communities: Concerns exist for Indigenous communities that rely heavily on fish, with investigations into proximity to pollution.
Monitoring & Action
Government agencies and environmental groups monitor fish for mercury levels to issue consumption advisories.
Studies continue to investigate the microbial processes and industrial impacts on methylmercury levels in New Brunswick's waters.
Methylmercury in tissues of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser ...
Jan 14, 2018 — Investigations into mercury load have been made for several species of fishes in the Bay of Fundy and Saint John River...
ScienceDirect.com
Methylmercury in Freshwater and Marine Fishes in New ...
Abstract. American eel (Anguilla rostrata), chain pickerel (Esox niger), white perch (Morone americana), yellow perch (Perca flave...
Canadian Science Publishing
Toxic Mercury in Aquatic Life Could Spike with Greater Land ...
Jan 26, 2017 — The study showed that an increase in natural organic matter entering coastal waters can boost the bioaccumulation of m...
Methylmercury in Freshwater and Marine Fishes in New ...
Canadian Science Publishing
https://cdnsciencepub.com › doi
by V Zitko · 1971 · Cited by 58 — However, the concentration of methylmercury in eels from a lake in New Brunswick did not change over a period of 46 years, indicating that elevated levels of ...Read more
Mercury pollution in Canada
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Mercury_pollution_in...
Methylmercury ... In the 1970s, there were approximately 15 chloralkali factories which got reduced to one (which is in New Brunswick) after the implementation of ...Read more
pp
--- quoting Google search for methylmercury in New Brunswick---
Methylmercury in New Brunswick is a known issue, particularly in fish from the Saint John River system and other freshwater bodies, linked to historic industrial pollution (like chloralkali plants and paper mills), airborne sources, and natural organic matter, leading to elevated levels in species like bass, eel, and sturgeon, which impacts human health through fish consumption, prompting advisories and studies by groups like the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.
Key Sources & Locations
Industrial Legacy: Past mercury emissions from industries like chloralkali plants (one in New Brunswick until the 1980s) and pulp/paper mills contributed to mercury in waterways.
Saint John River System: Studies by the Conservation Council of New Brunswick and others found high levels in smallmouth bass, with some locations exceeding U.S. EPA limits in the 2000s.
Airborne Mercury: Mercury can travel through the air and deposit in water, contributing to contamination in areas not directly linked to local industry.
Natural Factors: Natural organic matter runoff from land can also increase methylmercury formation in water.
Affected Species
Freshwater Fish: Smallmouth bass, American eel, chain pickerel, perch, brook trout, and Atlantic salmon have shown elevated levels.
Marine Fish: Studies in the Bay of Fundy have looked at mercury in species like striped bass and sturgeon.
Health Concerns & Impact
Bioaccumulation: Methylmercury builds up in fish and concentrates up the food chain, posing risks to predators and humans.
Health Effects: Long-term exposure can harm the nervous, digestive, and immune systems, affecting vision, hearing, and coordination.
Indigenous Communities: Concerns exist for Indigenous communities that rely heavily on fish, with investigations into proximity to pollution.
Monitoring & Action
Government agencies and environmental groups monitor fish for mercury levels to issue consumption advisories.
Studies continue to investigate the microbial processes and industrial impacts on methylmercury levels in New Brunswick's waters.
Methylmercury in tissues of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser ...
Jan 14, 2018 — Investigations into mercury load have been made for several species of fishes in the Bay of Fundy and Saint John River...
ScienceDirect.com
Methylmercury in Freshwater and Marine Fishes in New ...
Abstract. American eel (Anguilla rostrata), chain pickerel (Esox niger), white perch (Morone americana), yellow perch (Perca flave...
Canadian Science Publishing
Toxic Mercury in Aquatic Life Could Spike with Greater Land ...
Jan 26, 2017 — The study showed that an increase in natural organic matter entering coastal waters can boost the bioaccumulation of m...
Methylmercury in Freshwater and Marine Fishes in New ...
Canadian Science Publishing
https://cdnsciencepub.com › doi
by V Zitko · 1971 · Cited by 58 — However, the concentration of methylmercury in eels from a lake in New Brunswick did not change over a period of 46 years, indicating that elevated levels of ...Read more
Mercury pollution in Canada
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Mercury_pollution_in...
Methylmercury ... In the 1970s, there were approximately 15 chloralkali factories which got reduced to one (which is in New Brunswick) after the implementation of ...Read more
--- end quoting Google search for methylmercury in New Brunswick---
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