H2oil Page #4

evident between arsenic

and diseases affecting

your community.

This is a red flag item

that really needs

to be studied in depth.

I am not sure I'd

use the word "cover-up"

but it is surely

something like that.

I would say that the government

and industry have data

which indicate that there is a problem

and that they are not telling

you about it.

Is that a cover-up?

I suppose you could say that.

Does your department

investigate all the deformities

in the fish and those kinds

of things that

the native of FortChipewyan

are talking about?

No,

not directly.

What we're doing is

continuing our responsibility

to monitor water quality.

Occasional deformities

which were found

are not restricted to

the Athabasca River.

Dr. Timoney used Official's

data in his report

but the government

Alberta maintains

the oil sands development does not

cause any serious problem.

But Dr. Timoney, like many others,

remains concerned about the

growing presence of chemicals

called policyclic aromatic

hydrocarbons or PAHs.

It is well established

that PAHs cause cancer

and other

of vascular disorders,

kidney problems,

liver and skin damage.

They have an interesting

synergetic effect with arsenic.

We know that arsenic is

a powerful carcinogen

and is associated with certain types

cancer seen in Fort Chipewyan.

The combination of arsenic

and PAHs may increase

carcinogenic effects

And it is precisely

what is found in water,

in the sediment of

the river and Delta.

Some independent reports,

there is a presence

of arsenic and PAHs.

Should we then make

more studies on the subject?

When people have concerns

in relation to their health

whether real or not,

we must take that into account.

So we're going to continue

the studies and monitoring

just to reassure them.

But there is no spill

of wastewater into the Athabasca

our monitiring information

tells us

there is no additional contaminants

They talk about arsenic,

but the levels were still

within the guidelines.

They talk about mercury.

It is at natural levels.

The oil sands outcrop

into the river naturally.

If you take a boatride in summer

you will see seepage

on the river bank.

It is obvious that water

downlstream from the oil sands

will carry some PAHs

that may not be found

in other rivers

because there isn'tany

hydrocarbons entering.

But that's natural.

Some of the under the table things

that have happened with the

response to

Dr. Timoney's report.

reveals the same thing:

The level of mercury

always been high there.

This is not really

the name of the game.

Sure, they probably were high

but are they higher since

we've been mining?

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