update on Texada coal project

Port Metro Vancouver is set to release its own mini environmental assessment on Monday. If you've sent them an email, you'll probably get notice of it.

They are already dismissing the Chief Medical Health Officers' (from Fraser Health and Coastal Health Authority) concerns about health impacts on people. Last spring they called for a proper, independent Health Impact Assessment (citing coal dust, increased diesel emissions and noise) before the project is approved.

Having seen a draft of the assessment, the CMHOs say it is inadequate. PMV says that it has authority to decide on the project.

Full details on this from    http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Coal+health+impact+crosshairs+Metro+V...

A statement of the Whatcom County doctors' position on health risks from increased coal shipments (in their case through the proposed Cherry Point facility), can be downloaded from http://communitiesandcoal.com/    This is a Canadian site, and has lots of other information.

The Whatcom doctors examined the medical literature on coal impacts on health, and found that all of the 400 articles expressed concerns about adverse health effects. References to these papers and lots of details are available with the position statement, in its five appendices. It's available directly from   http://nomorewhiterockcoal.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/whatcom-docs-posi...

Dr. James talk on Texada presents these concerns in detail in about 30 minutes. It's at   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBLLUsqdDnA&feature=youtu.be

Some of the organizations that also express concern about the health effects of coal dust: the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association.

I've asked our minister of health, Terry Lake, HLTH [dot] health [at] gov [dot] bc [dot] ca (HLTH [dot] health [at] gov [dot] bc [dot] ca )to institute a proper Health Impact Assessment of the project, including the parts of it outside the Fraser River. I've also asked our Vancouver Island Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Richard Stanwick, to ask the health minister to cause a Health Impact Assessment to be begun.

You can also read about some of this in the Island Tides that arrived this week.