Alberta Oil Sands Community Exposure and Health Effects Assessment Program Report

The Alberta Oil Sands Community Exposure and Health Effects Assessment Program was developed to ensure that a long-term, systematic approach to data gathering was implemented that would improve our knowledge about the link between the environment and human health. The purpose of the pilot study was to develop the methodology to be used in the main investigation and to address the technical, laboratory, and logistical aspects of the Program. This included developing the appropriate exposure assessment techniques, field activities, analytical laboratory testing procedures, and data analysis capabilities. Specifically, the objectives of the pilot study were to develop a data collection method for personal/population exposure assessment of exposure to sulphur dioxide (SO2)' nitrous oxides (NOx), ozone (O3), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulates, and heavy metals (HM) using the Total Exposure Assessment method, including development of the protocols for field data collection, laboratory analysis, and quality assurance; development of methods for the collection of individual ancillary data on exposure conditions, health status, and nutrition; conducting a feasibility study on a convenience sample of the population; and development of a statistical analysis methodology for the environmental data.