A State of Emergency has been declared in the northern Ontario community of Attawapiskat over water tests that show potentially high toxic byproduct levels.

Recent testing on the tap water there shows high levels of trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids. These are byproducts of a disinfection process, and could be considered harmful on the skin and not just when consumed. Residents of Attawapiskat are being asked not to bathe in the water, nor use it to wash food.

So I hear Ottawa’s real proud of having the cleanest drinking water in the world! Meanwhile in Attawapiskat the water is contaminated. #attawapiskat #contaminatedwater #northernproblems #indigenous #canada #cdnpoli @JustinTrudeau @thejagmeetsingh @andrewscheer @cathmckenna pic.twitter.com/QxcwUOZslk

— Sutherland (@ASutherland9) July 7, 2019

While there have been problems with the community’s water for years, this latest batch of testing demonstrates how dangerous the tap water can be. NDP MP Charlie Angus represents the area and is calling on Inigenous Services Minister Seamus O’Regan to take action.

This little child deserves better.
She has only one kidney and must drink lots of water to stay healthy.
But in Attawapiskat the water is unsafe.@SeamusORegan we need a coherent plan to prevent FLINT NORTH. pic.twitter.com/lriX8e4IVu

— Charlie Angus NDP (@CharlieAngusNDP) July 9, 2019

A recent social media post from Federal Minister of Environment Catherine McKenna is being called tone deaf, after the Minister bragged about Canada’s water quality. One Twitter user pointed out that thousands of Indigenous people lack access to clean water in Canada.

Must be nice, @cathmckenna. Maybe consider visiting Attawapiskat, a northern community IN Ontario, and try filling your water bottle here using our tap water? It just causes cancer if using it long term. No biggie. You’ll only be here for a day, at most I bet. You should be fine. https://t.co/BOma9boMd5

— Chelsea Jane Edwards ᒉᐪᓯ ᒉᐣ ᐁᑐᐤᐊᐟ (@chelseajaneed) July 7, 2019