Little evidence of high cancer rates in oilsands community: government study

EDMONTON – An Alberta government study hasn’t found any overall evidence of high cancer rates in Fort Chipewyan (CHIP’-ih-wahn) downstream from the oilsands.

The study has found high levels of two forms of the disease in the community.

Fort Chip has worried for years about whether living downstream from oilsands developments is affecting the health of residents.

A previous Alberta Cancer Board study found higher-than-normal rates of several rare cancers.

Those included bile duct cancer — a finding that has been backed up by results in the government report.

The other cancer found to be more common than normal in the aboriginal community is cervical cancer.

The current study examined 81 cases of cancer in Fort Chipewyan’s 1,000 residents between the years 1992 and 2011.