Some doctors refused to treat (Tar sand) emission-area residents

[Joe Shlabotnik]

EDMONTON - Some Peace River area doctors are afraid to speak out about health impacts of oil and gas activity and in some cases have declined to treat area residents who wondered if their health problems were related to emissions, says one of two independent health experts hired by the Alberta Energy Regulator.

Doctors fear negative consequences to their careers if they speak out, and in one case, one lab refused to process a test, says Dr. Margaret Sears, an Ontario expert in toxicology and health who will appear this week at a special hearing into complaints about emissions from the Baytex oilsands operation 32 kilometres south of Peace River

“Communications with public health officials and medical professionals revealed a universal recognition that petrochemical emissions affect health; however, this was countered by a marked reluctance to speak out,” wrote Sears.

The reluctance stems from fear of consequences, lack of data about exposure levels, and lack of knowledge on the part of doctors on how to deal with exposures to petrochemical emissions, she wrote.

“Physicians are quite frankly afraid to diagnose health conditions linked to the oil and gas industry,” wrote Sears, adding she heard several times about the case of Dr. John O’Connor who was threatened with losing his licence after raising an alarm about cancer rates in Fort Chipewyan.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/health/Some+doctors+refused+treat+emission+area+residents+report/9405551/story.html

[leftyohiolib]

1. it's called courage and one of ought to be able to find it somewhere with you

[Kelvin Mace]

2. What does it say about us as a society

that we live in this much fear of corporations?

[Joe Shlabotnik]

3. To be honest I don't know.

That is certainly one interpretation. Another may be that we are approving projects (and consumer products etc) on cursory evidence, and lofty assurances, because profits can't wait for the science to be conducted. Another may be society's pervasive fatalistic attitude towards 'progress'.

[Kelvin Mace]

6. Not quite my question

Doctors are refusing to treat patients because they don't want to determine that they are suffering the effects of toxic chemicals and thus will be attacked professionally and financially by the oil companies.

The fact that industry us moving ahead of science as to what is safe should have ZERO effect on doctors providing care to the sick.

"Let's see, you have a broken arm. You I will treat. You, you seem to be suffering from heavy metal poisoning, so I won't treat you because multinational oil companies will not like it."

[Mnemosyne]

4. Sounds like Japan. The power, and criminality, of these companies is stuptifying at times. nt

[KT2000]

5. standard operating procedure

doctors are afraid of most environmental causes of illness. Behind most environmental damage is a corporation that even if small will be backed up by larger, more powerful corporations, lobbyists and politicians.
This is the norm.

There are exceptions but doctors are not usually willing to stick their necks out because insurance companies will make their lives difficult and possibly blacklist them, medical boards will find something such as "anonymous complaints" that will destroy their practices and state medical associations can lean on them. They are a well controlled group.

[CHIMO]

7. Some Background

Cancer rate in Fort Chipewyan cause for alarm: medical examiner

Northern Alberta's medical examiner has requested an investigation by Health Canada into the unusually high rate of cancer and immune diseases in Fort Chipewyan.

Dr. John O'Connor, a physician and medical examiner for the remote northern community, says the population of 1,200 has been disproportionately affected by a high number of both rare and common cancers.

Mar 10, 2006 8:48 AM MT| Last Updated: Mar 10, 2006 8:48 AM MT
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/cancer-rate-in-fort-chipewyan-cause-for-alarm-medical-examiner-1.609695


Doctor cleared oversuggested link between cancer, oilsands
An embattled family physician who raised concerns about a possible link between Alberta's oilsands and cancer rates in a remote aboriginal community received vindication this week when he was cleared of causing "undue alarm."

Dr. John O'Connor found himself in hot water after he claimed in 2003 and 2004 that residents of Fort Chipewyan had unusually high rates of blood, colon, bile-duct and liver cancer. The province did a statistical analysis of all cancer cases reported in Fort Chipewyan and found no evidence of elevated cancer rates in the community compared to the rest of the Northern Lights Health Region or all of Alberta.

http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/cityplus/story.html?id=6951e2e4-76fc-4bd1-b32e-8a6e045be0c1

[CanSocDem]

8. They all remember...

...what happened to Wiebo Ludwig.




"After several oil and gas companies trespassed on his land and two sour gas leaks poisoned members of his family and livestock in 1996, Wiebo-Ludwig formally declared war against the industry. The caustic preacher wasn't kidding."



http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2012/04/11/Wiebo-Ludwig-Obituary/


.

[polly7]

9. Reminds me of my Dad's doctor when I asked him if

the Benzene Dad was exposed to from years of lighting off the flare-pits could have caused his sudden blood-illness. He flatly refused to even consider it (and strangely, wouldn't even look me in the eye when he answered), but instead chose to dwell on my Dad's drinking over four decades ago - by drinking, I mean the odd wedding celebration or once every two weeks or so, s few hours at the bar with his friends. I was absolutely furious. My Dad, before he took his life, spent his last few weeks believing he'd caused his own illness. But I live in an town that wouldn't exist, were it not for the oil here.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

10. That is so heartbreaking.