Fort Chipewyan cancer study Responses

When searching up cancer cases present in Fort Chipewyan I found these two articles that stood out to me.
First we have one that is pretty much from Alberta health's point of view posted right below. They are trying to re-assure the people that the numbers are not as high as they have been reported to be, to keep calm, and that the cause is still undetermined.

http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/500.asp

Next then we have one from Fort Chipewyan First Nations who argue that they cannot trust the study since "the local community's health board and health professionals weren't asked for their input on the study" (quote from the article link below).

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=4e7e9107-a3a9-43bf-bf17-a0358a83453c

After reading both articles I find myself agreeing with the people of Fort Chipewyan since regulation of the oil sands has been an issue for a couple of years now and nothing has been done. Instead it has been business as they have seen fit. On the other hand I also feel sorry for the Alberta health care people since they are cleaning up someone else mess. I just hope that they can prove that it is the oils ands fault so some sort of reimbursement can take place to help those families cope.

Fort Chip Residents Confront Stelmach on Tar Sands Poisoning of their People

I found another article about the Fort Chip oilsand poisoning their people. People says about oilsand "the most destructive development on earth,". I am not hundred percent agree with this comment becuase oilsand makes a lot of money to government and government uses the money for people as well, but I do agree with some because it causes a lot of side effect as well. also in the article, people compains saying "I am curious why your government continues to dismiss the claims made by Fort Chipewyan?" he asked Stelmach." This is because the government is not willing to give up the money that come out from the oilsand. If they listen to the compains from the Fort Chip, Government loses oilsand.

Government's lie

I found the article that shows the government lying. It just makes me mad guys. They said, they have not found any evidence of oil sand causing cancer. You guys have to read this article. Also in the article, someone said "Politicians are looking with one eye to protect the oilsands and, as a result of that, holding back climate policy across Canada." and I totally agree with it. How can government be so ignorance. I knew they are bad, but it is more than that.

Fort Chip research

I'm not sure if any of you have directly looked into the stats of how many people in Fort Chip are affected by this or have cancer. I was really surprised when I read this research paper by the number of people affected by this. According to that paper overall there was 51 cancers found within 47 individuals when it was only expected to be 39 cancers. They found many different cancer cases such as Cholangiocarcinoma (cancer of the bile ducts), biliary tract cancers, and colon cancers, cancers of the blood and lymphatic system, lung cancer and soft tissue cancer. When I was reading all this information I was astonished that government officials were not putting all their effort into trying to affect or change this at all. It makes me think that the government doesn't care as much as they say they do.

Wildlife and water

There are also a lot of arsenic and mercury found in the water and the fish are becoming contaminated because of this. The levels of these are higher then they should be. People who were fishing caught abnormal growths and hunters found fowl covered in oil. The drinking water in this community has been tested and is said to be safe to drink. Why would you even want to drink it if you know what it is doing to the people and wildlife? The few times I visited Fort Chipewyan, I've always drank bottled water. Just knowing these things just makes you unsure. The government has to know what it's doing to the environment but probably only worried about the money that the oil sands are bringing in and not worried about the side affects.

http://mostlywater.org/study_proves_it_tar_sands_operations_poisoning_athabasca_basin_fort_chipewyan

The town that lives off the land

In 2006 a study was done to the water supply in Fort Chipewyan. There was a huge amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are associated with the oil deposits and increasing the amount of pollution. The residents of Fort Chipewyan are often eating food from hunting or fishing through out the year. These animals are eating and drinking from these waters and the land and getting diseases as well and the people of Fort Chipewyan are eating these animals. It isn't on occasion, it is more everyday for these people are eating these foods as well.

http://www.nodirtyenergy.org/index.php?Itemid=160&id=112&option=com_content&task=view

Why is Cancer Sweeping Tiny Fort Chipewyan?

Attached is yet another article from back in 2006. The author Patrick Brethour goes into details of how the conditions were brought to light by Dr. O'Connor and he also give his own opinions on the tragedy that the people of Fort Chip have lived. Notice how towards the end of the article an official from First Nations and Inuit Health says that he, "felt quite comfortable," drinking the water but then ended up draining the glass that he had poured for himself. It reminded me of when Erin Brokovich told the lawyers that they brought the water in for them directly from Hinkley and they didn't drink it.

Interesting Topic!

This is good work so far. Just make sure that all the posts meet the minimum length requirement. Who is Keganzi? I need to know in order to give you credit for your posts.

Article about Dr. John O'connor

Hello everyone! Here is an awesome article I found about the doctor that brought Fort Chips health problems to light. Dr. John O'Connor returned to Fort Chip to deliver a speech and was welcomed with a hero status. His courageous efforts to help them got him ostracized and investigated. Without him, their story might have been swept under the rug. I feel that without his selflessness the problems would've been kept under the radar by 'officials' that are supposed to be the ones to blow the whistle on such situations.

A march in downton Edmonton

Here is an article of the people from Fort Chipewyan doing a march down Jasper to Crowne Plaza. The are trying to get the word out on what is going on in Fort Chipewyan. Last year 20 people died from cancer related deaths and the popution of Fort Chip is only 1200. That is a very high number for such a small community. There are about 200 activists who did this march and are wanting to slow down oilsands development. These people are also worried about the future of their children and grandchildren and what will be left of the land in that area once or if the oil industry slows down.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2008/11/02-1

fort chipewyans problems are vocalized

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2008/05/07/chip-water.html

Here is an article from CBC, hopefully if the people of fort chipewyan keep bringing up the issues of their water quality and how it is affecting their quality of life some changes arise. I believe that the leaders of the Oil Sands industry need to own up to the health issues the oil sands are causing not only to the people in Fort Chip but also other towns and cities along the river. They should also consider all the damage they are causing to the environment by releasing these pollutants into the atmosphere.

Website

Here is an article about cancer sweeping Fort Chipewyan! There are a lot of people suffering from very random cancers and at very young ages. I am from Hay River, NT and the effects from the oil sands are even being felt there. The Slave River leaves Lake Athabasca and runs north into the Great Slave Lake and Hay River is on the shore of Great Slave Lake. There are so many people from Hay River dying from cancer and being diagnosed often just like Fort Chipweyan. It isn't Hay River only, there is Fort Smith, Lutselk'e, Yellowknife and Fort Providence that are all on that lake or river as well, that are experiencing all these effects from the oilsands.

http://mostlywater.org/node/6332

Question

How are the oil sands in Fort McMurray affecting the lives of the people in Fort Chipewyan??

Welcome

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