Human blood is clean, according to Swan Hills test

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The results are out on the province's health study on randomly selected people living near the Swan Hills Waste Treatment Centre.

The findings of the tests, released late in Aug., show that samples of blood taken from a randomly sampled group do contain PCB's, dioxins and furans, but of a level no higher than a sample group in Edmonton, and lower on average than blood samples from people around the world.

"There was no one in our sample who was outside the normally expected range," said Alberta Health's provincial health officer John Waters.

In all, he said blood tests were made from 65 people living within a 100 km. radius of the treatment plant. Of the 65, Waters said that six were Aboriginal people. Though the number of Natives studied was low, he said it was proportional to the area's population.

"The Aboriginal people were represented in the sample to the extent they are represented from the population of the area."

Despite the low test findings, Walters said the province still urges people to restrict their intake of wild meat taken from near the plant.

He cautioned that "there is potential for some human health impact."

Concentrations of the dangerous chemicals are still present and at higher levels in wildlife near the treatment plant, provincial tests have shown.

Waters said Alberta Health will not conduct anymore tests on people, but focus further testing on the animal populations to monitor the amount of contaminants in their blood streams.

Lesser Slave Lake Indian Regional Council Grand Chief Jim Badger said he was pleased that the tests came back negative. He still believes, however, that if there is contamination in the animals, there is a danger to humans.

"It's excellent that there was little contamination. I don't think that it is high, but it's probably still there because it's in the animals.

The provincial study, he said, although positive, was not specific enough and it seemed to contradict itself.

"I don't know if I'd put that much credence in it, but it is good for them to say that there is no high contamination, but then they say not to eat the meat, so there's still some problems," he said.

He will feel better once the more comprehensive Health Canada study is completed. That study is starting up this month and should be finalized by next April.

That study will test upward of 300 people from Aboriginal communities near the plant.

Despite the provincial tests, Badger is still convinced the Swan Hill site is a cause for concern and said study or not, the Aboriginal community will continue to fight.

"To me it's the same thing. We will still be circling the wagons..."