A local study to investigate the health effects of the spill is underway.
Seven years after the notorious fuel spill into Lemon Creek in the Slocan Valley, students from the Rural Pre-Medicine Program (RPM) at Selkirk College are undertaking a study to investigate the health effects of the spill.
Student Andi Belland has taken the lead on this project, and has begun to contact people and groups in the Slocan Valley to get responses to an interview form that will provide useful data. The form can be viewed at https://tinyurl.com/v86numm.
Thus far they have received a couple of dozen responses, and are hoping to get many more.
The publicity for the study says they are looking into “economic, social, psychological, or physical effects” that Valley residents may have encountered during or following the spill. Participants will complete a confidential survey and/or have an in-person interview with two or more researchers, and can withdraw from the study at any time. The survey will take approximately 15 minutes and must be submitted before March 15, 2020.
The interview will take approximately 30-60 minutes.
Participation in this study will help the students to better understand the impacts of the Lemon Creek fuel spill, particularly relating to the health of the community surrounding the spill location. This research will help develop an understanding of how fuel spills in a rural area impact its residents.
As reported in the Valley Voice newspaper, Feb. 13, 2020