Health and Wellness for Canadians

Four Rivers Medical is Changing the Way Manitobans Access Healthcare

Broadway Clinic new hours of operation - now open weekdays from 7AM to 10PM

For more information see the Broadway Clinic page online at FourRiversMedical.com where you can also request an appointment online.


In the news Alberta has been cited taking steps towards identifying household and airborne toxins in the blood of some 30,000 patients in the Alberta Healthcare System. It is not designed to be a service to patients rather it is designed to help the province better understand what they have to deal with in terms of pollution and how it effects Albertans.

What does this mean for the taxpayers? And what about the clinical research data that will become available? It is a good step towards the cleaner air concept and there are some speculations that Manitoba will not be far behind this initiative.

What if you didn't want to wait for the province to do your own personal blood work to identify any toxins or poisons? Some might say we should have services like this available to the public; free of charge or at a nominal cost, to better understand our own state of health. Watch for comments on this topic in the near future.

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Article taken from the Calgary Sun:
Mon, April 16, 2007

Province launches toxins testing
UPDATED: 2007-04-16 15:25:28 MST


By TARINA WHITE, SUN MEDIA


Blood samples from 30,000 pregnant Alberta women are being analysed for toxins found everywhere from homes to industrial plants.

Alberta Health and Wellness is embarking on the $1-million initiative to gain a better understanding of the amount of toxins absorbed by residents, said spokesman Howard May.

“The subtle link between the health of the environment and the health of the people is an important area to understand and to monitor,” he said.

Existing blood samples taken from pregnant women at doctor’s offices are being used for the anonymous testing, he said.

“It’s not like we’re going out and asking 30,000 people to roll up their sleeves,” said May.

The project is the first of its kind in Alberta to test for exposure to toxins, such as herbicides, pesticides and heavy metals.

“In the past, it’s been done using questionnaires and that’s unreliable,” said May.


Myles Kitagawa, associate director of the Toxics Watch Society of Alberta, is cautioning the testing shouldn’t be allowed to distract from the larger issue of industrial pollution in the province’s roaring resource-based economy.“What I hope I don’t see is diverting concern about pollutants in our environment away from industrial concerns toward lifestyle concerns,” said Kitagawa.

The University of Calgary’s Centre for Toxicology is conducting the testing, along with experts at the University of Alberta.

The blood samples will be pooled into categories, such as age groups and regions, to highlight the impact of the chemicals on certain areas and populations within the province.

The results are expected in the fall.

The province is already taking some steps to reduce industrial pollutants and is also studying a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by pumping and storing carbon dioxide waste underground using a pipeline network.Premier Ed Stelmach’s government has also tabled legislation to force large-scale producers to cut the intensity of such emissions by 12 per cent starting July 1. Alberta produces almost 40% of Canada’s greenhouse gases.

— with files from CP
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