Health

Oilsands link to Fort Chip cancer rates?

by Paul Conneally | February 7, 2009 at 02:21 am

288 views | 24 Recommendations | 9 comments

As officials try to play down the raised cancer rates amongst aboriginal people in Fort Chipewyan others are pointing a finger towards oilsand plants that sit higher up the water courses that feed Fort Chip.

For a number of years local people have worried about the effects of the oilsand works on the environment and their health and they now feel that this needs to be investigated further in the light of the cancer rate findings.

The number of cancer cases in Fort Chipewyan is higher than expected, according to a report from Alberta Health Services released Friday.

Fifty-one cancers in 47 people were found in the remote community, 300km north of Fort McMurray, between 1995 and 2006, a dozen more than the 39 cancers that were expected, and the incidences of some cancers warrant more followup, the report said.

"The increased number of cases of biliary tract cancers, cancers in the blood and lymphatic system and cancers of unknown primary seen in the most recent six years (2001-2006) compared to the years 1995-2000 of the investigation warrant closer monitoring of cancer occurrences in Fort Chipewyan in the coming years," the report says.

"Further investigation is required to evaluate if there is a risk posed by living in Fort Chipewyan. This would be done by tracking a cohort of residents who have lived in the area within the past 20 to 30 years."

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Alexlon

at 03:51 on February 7th, 2009

Statistics scares

René

at 05:17 on February 7th, 2009

So what else was added to their diets and lives? Maybe something else contributed.

Paul Conneally

at 05:47 on February 7th, 2009

Well the oilsands link will to many seem to need investigating alongside other issues such as levels of smoking, diet etc. The oilsands debate will go on not just in terms of humans possible increased risk to disease but also the environmental issues beyond this.

Emilio Lizardo

at 05:57 on February 7th, 2009

What the heck do oilsands have to do with this ?

Personally, I'd go out there with a gieger counter and see what it has to say ...

Paul Conneally

at 06:00 on February 7th, 2009

ha! oilsands and uranium... lethal combination maybe...

Emilio Lizardo

at 06:02 on February 7th, 2009

I'm sure it's only a coincidence ...

Amy Judd

at 14:37 on February 7th, 2009

I am sure there is a connection - you hear about these cases from time to time; I think it's just too much of a coincidence otherwise.

AKAmamma

at 18:31 on February 8th, 2009

That's right all those toxins seep into the ground water, lakes and rivers, poisoning everyone and everything in their wake.

noonne (not verified)

at 21:29 on February 25th, 2009

Hi all - just whant to tell all of you...

I live in Sweden and I was yesterday evening watching a German prime time satelit broadcast on my TV-set about the problems with oil-pruduction from oilsand. Not only did they show how the forrest etc. is dissapearing, the main focus was on the water/cancer-problem, so the "bad news" is traveling around the globe.