'We are being lied to': Edmonton doctor alarmed at pesticide use in local lakes
CTV
A whistleblower who played a key role raising the alarm of the health risks posed by the oilsands has a new concern — this time in his own backyard.
A whistleblower who played a key role raising the alarm of the health risks posed by the oilsands has a new concern — this time in his own backyard.
Dr. John O’Connor is campaigning with fellow concerned citizens against the use of the insecticide rotenone to rid Edmonton waters of invasive goldfish that have been breeding in a number of lakes in Edmonton subdivisions.
O’Connor worked as a physician for Indigenous communities downstream of the oilsands and drew public attention to what he noted was a high prevalence of unusual cancers.
"The risks to human health are well known, yet we are being lied to!" O’Connor said in an email about rotenone and the messaging behind its use in his neighbourhood.
Rotenone, the main component of the insecticide noxfish, is a World Health Organization class II toxin linked to Parkinson’s disease and developmental neurotoxicity. Sales of rotenone have been banned in the United Kingdom since 2009.
EPCOR, Edmonton’s utility company, notified residents in May 2024 that it would be using the insecticide in West Edmonton’s Lake Guinevere, O’Connor said.
In a statement to Canada’s National Observer, EPCOR said it needs to prevent the spread of invasive species to the North Saskatchewan River, or they could overwhelm native species and destroy ecosystems.
