About Kamloops Physicians for a Healthy Environment Society
Welcome to the Kamloops Physicians for a Healthy Environment Society's website. We are committed to providing access to well-researched information to promote the education of our population with regards to the impact of the environment on population health.
OUR MISSION: we are dedicated to protecting the health and well-being of the citizens of Kamloops by promoting health education and science-based interventions that result in maintaining and improving the environment.
Although physicians in Kamloops have long advocated for population health, our group came together as we found many of our colleagues share our concern over the potential health impacts of the proposed Ajax mine that would be located in close proximity to our city.
There is a substantial group of physicians and allied health professionals who are interested in protecting the health of the citizens of Kamloops. The medical evidence of negative health impacts from diesel exhaust, heavy metals and particulate matter is compelling. There are no "safe" levels of some types of air pollution, and for other types the standards are continually changing due to new research.
We will be updating our website with new information in the coming months as we continue our research. We hope you find the information that we have gathered to be interesting and helpful.
Physicians diagnose and treat diseases of the human body, and where possible, look at preventing disease. Causes can be related to genetics, trauma, infections, inflammation, and toxins. Toxins enter the human body through the lungs, skin, and the digestive tract. Knowledge about the effect of toxins on the human body and where the toxins come from is studied in Environmental Medicine, Occupational Medicine, and part of Public Health.
Part of being a physician is to voice questions and concerns when public health is an issue. Physician advocates made the public aware of the negative effects of incineration of railway ties in Kamloops. Physicians and Kamloops advocates, along with increased awareness from the Walkerton tragedy, catapulted our community to be the site of a world-renowned water purification plant.
Kamloops Physicians for a Healthy Environment Society formed March 2013. Medical research about negative health effects by pollution of air, water, and soil by large industrial projects was so convincing that the physicians were compelled to act. The group formed to convey this information to the public, to their representatives at all levels in the Health Ministry, and all levels of Government.
Kamloops Physicians for a Healthy Environment Society is a non-profit organization run entirely by volunteers. We are a society, non-taxdeductable donations can be received and will be entirely directed to advocacy activities.