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ATER INDUSTRY NEWS
Mistake at water treatment plant caused Britain’s worst mass poisoning
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Tuesday, November 02, 2010

CAMELFORD, ENGLAND — A delivery driver has admitted to mistakenly dumping 20 tons of aluminum sulfate into the wrong tank at a water treatment facility in Camelford, England in 1991, the Daily Mail reported.

The driver, John Stephens, told an inquest yesterday that no one from the South West Water Authority was present when he was scheduled to make a delivery, so he let himself in and poured aluminum sulfate into what he thought was the correct tank, the story reported.

The mistake contaminated the water supply of 20,000 homes and resulted in the worst mass poisoning in Britain’s history, the article stated.

Customers complained that the polluted water caused rashes, diarrhea, mouth ulcers and other medical problems, according to the report.

The water authority initially told concerned customers that the water was safe to drink and advised some to boil the water, which actually increased aluminum sulfate levels, the article reported.

The authority neglected to inform customers that a dangerous chemical was accidentally added to the water until three weeks after the incident occurred, the report stated.

South West Water Authority was later convicted of supplying water likely to endanger public health.

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