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 FLR rated 18 months ago - DRINKING WATER TURNS TOXICBy JUDY PASTERNAKLos Angeles TimesTuesday, November 28, 2006 11:15 AM MSTCAMERONIn all her years of tending sheep in the western reaches of the Navajo range, Lois Neztsosie had never seen anything so odd.New lakes had appeared as if by magic in the arid scrublands. Instead ...
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- FLR rated 18 months ago
- DRINKING WATER TURNS TOXICBy JUDY PASTERNAKLos Angeles TimesTuesday, November 28, 2006 11:15 AM MSTCAMERONIn all her years of tending sheep in the western reaches of the Navajo range, Lois Neztsosie had never seen anything so odd.New lakes had appeared as if by magic in the arid scrublands. Instead of hunting for puddles in the sandstone, she could lead her 100 animals to drink their fill. She would quench her own thirst as well, parting the film on the water's surface with her hands and leaning down to swallow.Despite the abundant water, an unexpected blessing, her flock failed to thrive. The birthrate dropped, and the few new lambs that did appear had a hard time walking. Some were born without eyes.Lois' husband, David, wondered whether the sheepdogs were mating with their charges. A medicine man, he also suspected witchcraft. He tried to fight the spell by burning cedar and herbs and gathering the sheep around the fire to inhale the healing smoke.The livestock were not his only worry. A mysterious sickness was affecting the couple's two youngest daughters.Laura, born in 1970, had a weak right eye and was prone to stumbling. Arlinda came along the following year and developed ulcers in her corneas by age 5. A few years later, she was walking on the sides of her feet.At the Indian Health Service hospital, doctors were mystified. Experts concluded that both girls suffered from a rare genetic disorder.There was another possibility, but no one considered it until many years later.---
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