John OâConnor, MD has conducted a family practice in the heart of the tar sands exploitation zone since the early 1990s. He has observed a great disease burden among First Nations populations that are exposed to tar sands pollutants including: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the carcinogenic metals arsenic, chromium, cadmium and lead. The First Nations people of Fort Chipewyan eat fish and wildlife from the Athabasca River, Lake Athabasca and the surrounding boreal forests. The Alberta government has discovered that moose meat and cattail roots of this region are contaminated with arsenic at unsafe levels.
During the course of his practice in Fort Chipewyan, Dr. OâConnor has encountered two cases of cholangiosarcoma, a rare bile duct cancer. This cancer is associated with exposure to chemicals of the petroleum industry. Dr. OâConner and scientific associates are pushing for a research project that would assess the role of tar sands pollutants in cancer causation in the Fort Chipewyan population.
Cancer Action NYs Cancer Action Network Donald L. Hassig, Producer
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