Health+Implications

Health Implications; the Alberta Oil Sands


 * Examples: **

- Deadly explosions and industrial accidents - Reported increases in cancer downstream from tar sands - Pollution of fresh water leading to poisoned drinking water


 * Public Concerns: **


 * A 2006 study by Suncor found elevated arsenic levels in moose [|453 times higher] than the acceptable level in terms of cancer risk (that is, the levels could lead to 453 additional cases of cancer for every 100,000 residents).
 * Dissatisfied with Suncor's study, the Alberta government initiated its own study, which found arsenic levels to be 17 – 33 times higher than the acceptable level in moose meat. The study also found that [|all wild meat may have unacceptably high levels of the cancer-causing toxin].
 * In November, 2007, an independent consultant hired by the Fort Chipewyan First Nation found high levels of arsenic in the waters of the Peace-Athabasca Delta near Fort Chipewyan; [|fish that were contaminated] with high levels of mercury; and levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons considered unsafe aquatic life. Contaminants were not only found in fish, but also in waterfowl, muskrat, beavers, and moose — all of which are traditional food sources for the community.

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