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The Alberta Oil Sands Community Exposure and Health Effects Assessment Program : methods report

Description

The Alberta Oil Sands Community Exposure and Health Effects Assessment Program was designed to assess exposure and associated health effects by direct measurement of personal exposure, direct... More ≫

Description

The Alberta Oil Sands Community Exposure and Health Effects Assessment Program was designed to assess exposure and associated health effects by direct measurement of personal exposure, direct measurement of biomarkers, and daily logs of a participant's activities. The study was modeled after the Total Exposure Assessment Method (TEAM) approach developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The TEAM approach is based on four fundamental characteristics: direct measurement of all routes of exposure (breathing, ingestion, and skin contact), direct measurement of biomarkers, daily logs of a participant’s activities, and a representative probability sample.

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The Alberta Oil Sands Community Exposure and Health Effects Assessment Program : technical report

Description

Over the past few decades, emphasis has been placed on environmental toxicology and modeling of pollutant fate and transport in the environment to deal with human health concerns. Sources of... More ≫

Description

Over the past few decades, emphasis has been placed on environmental toxicology and modeling of pollutant fate and transport in the environment to deal with human health concerns. Sources of pollution such as stack emissions, industrial effluents, and toxic wastes are being monitored and are reasonably well understood. However, at the time of this report human exposure to contaminants from all pathways (air, food, drinking water, and direct skin contact) is largely unknown. Several countries, as well as the World Health Organization, are implementing exposure and health effects assessment approaches to address human health concerns related to environmental and other factors. This document describes an application of the approach in Alberta to assess human exposure to contaminants from oil sands industrial activity.

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The Alberta Oil Sands Community Exposure and Health Effects Assessment Program : summary report

Description

This report provides an overview of the Alberta Oil Sands Community Exposure and Health Effects Assessment Program Main Study. The report describes the population and personal distribution of... More ≫

Description

This report provides an overview of the Alberta Oil Sands Community Exposure and Health Effects Assessment Program Main Study. The report describes the population and personal distribution of exposure to airborne chemicals and particulates in the city of Fort McMurray. Using a personal exposure model, the relative contribution of various exposure sources and pathways to airborne chemicals is estimated and associations between exposure to airborne chemicals and human health effects are described.

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Your air, your health : a major new study tests the quality of air and human health in Fort McMurray

Description

In 1994, the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board recommended that a study be done on the quality of the air in the community of Fort McMurray, and its potential impact on human health. Scientists... More ≫

Description

In 1994, the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board recommended that a study be done on the quality of the air in the community of Fort McMurray, and its potential impact on human health. Scientists worked with 300 volunteer participants to test their health, measure the quality of the air they breathed and test the air in Fort McMurray. This resource presents an overview of the findings of the study, which concluded that Fort McMurray residents are breathing good quality air and that ambient levels of airborne contaminants are low compared to provincial, national and international guidelines.

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Assessing air quality in High Level report 1 : a preliminary analysis of physician visits and air particulate data

Description

A study was done to assess air quality in High Level from a human health perspective. The study had two major components: an examination of existing health data on selected respiratory diseases;... More ≫

Description

A study was done to assess air quality in High Level from a human health perspective. The study had two major components: an examination of existing health data on selected respiratory diseases; and a collection of direct measures of air quality. The air quality component of the study focused on estimates of the personal exposure levels to selected air pollutants and how these exposures related to ambient levels of the pollutants. The health data component of the study showed rates of physician claims for the respiratory disorders in High Level were less than the provincial average.

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Maternal risk factors in relationship to birth outcome

Description

This report describes how maternal behaviours such as the use of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs among Alberta’s women impacts the risk of pre-term birth and low birth weight. As well, the... More ≫

Description

This report describes how maternal behaviours such as the use of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs among Alberta’s women impacts the risk of pre-term birth and low birth weight. As well, the report highlights regional variations in maternal and infant characteristics, the understanding of which may be useful in the design and implementation of targeted intervention programs.

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Northern River Basins human health monitoring program

Description

This report examines the differences in health outcomes across the province, compares the Northern River Basin Study area with the other areas of the province and examines possible relationships... More ≫

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This report examines the differences in health outcomes across the province, compares the Northern River Basin Study area with the other areas of the province and examines possible relationships between health outcomes and environmental contaminants. It includes a series of regional and local maps and graphs that identify the prevalence of certain diseases and disorders within the Peace and Athabasca river basins. The focus is on reproductive health, congenital anomalies, respiratory ailments, circulatory diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, endocrine and metabolic disorders, and neurocognitive disorders.

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Assessment of respiratory disorders in relation to solution gas flaring activities in Alberta

Description

Alberta Health conducted a study of health data, socioeconomic and environmental factors including solution gas flaring activity in response to concerns raised through the Clean Air Strategic... More ≫

Description

Alberta Health conducted a study of health data, socioeconomic and environmental factors including solution gas flaring activity in response to concerns raised through the Clean Air Strategic Alliance (CASA). The study involved information for the period 1994 to 1996 on population demographics, physician claims and hospitalizations collected from Alberta Health databases. This information was compared to data on flaring activities obtained from the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (AEUB). The health disorders investigated were asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and respiratory infections. The age-standardized rate of physician claims and hospitalizations were estimated for each postal code area in the province.

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Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and polychlorinated dibenzofuran in cow's milk near Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta

Description

In this study, cow’s milk from farms which are potentially affected by polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDD/F) emissions from various industries in Ft.... More ≫

Description

In this study, cow’s milk from farms which are potentially affected by polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDD/F) emissions from various industries in Ft. Saskatchewan, including the Dow Chemical EDC/VCM facility, were sampled and analyzed for PCDD/F. The results were compared with samples from reference farms as well as supermarket milk.

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Swan Hills Special Waste Treatment Center human health impact assessment

Description

The Swan Hills Treatment Centre is a facility for the safe disposal of special wastes located approximately 12 kilometers northeast of the town of Swan Hills. A furnace malfunction in October 1996... More ≫

Description

The Swan Hills Treatment Centre is a facility for the safe disposal of special wastes located approximately 12 kilometers northeast of the town of Swan Hills. A furnace malfunction in October 1996 caused the release of a portion of process gases containing toxic substances into the ambient air. As a precautionary measure, Alberta Health issued a local food consumption advisory for wild game and fish and followed this with a detailed human impact assessment carried out from December 1996 to October 1997. The human impact assessment was designed to document the current status of exposure and to address questions about population exposures arising from accidental and fugitive emissions of PCBs, dioxins and furans from the waste treatment plant. This report presents the findings of the assessment. As a result of the assessment, Alberta Health determined that continued restrictions on the consumption of wild game and fish contaminated with PCBs and dioxins/furans are warranted.

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