Open University - Camelford Case Study

https://www.open.edu/openlearn/mone...nagement/managing/camelford/case/studygeneral

I've been meaning to post this for over a year but kept forgetting.

A case study that asks

 

Clear thought? According to what I’ve read online, Camelford residents were issued a boil water advisory. That served only to concentrate the contaminant, and put some of it into their lungs while they boiled the water. Unfortunately, many trusted the words of the government before the evidence of their eyes and nose, and suffered permanent brain and organ damage as a result.

 

and you know who the main scientist was?

A certain Simon Wessely.

I lived near enough to Camelford to be worried about it.

 

I didn't know that anxiety could turn your hair green, but apparently that was the official response.

Seven months after the contamination, one victim underwent a bone biopsy which "found a ring of aluminium like the rings you see in trees" that could not have resulted from normal aluminium absorption.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camelford_water_pollution_incident#Carol_Cross

In 2006 a post-mortem inquest into the death of Carol Cross at age 58, who was exposed to the contaminated drinking water aged 44, showed that her brain contained 23 micrograms of aluminium per gram of brain, compared to the normal brain levels of 0–2 micrograms per gram. Her death was caused by a form of early-onset beta amyloid angiopathy, a cerebro-vascular disease usually associated with Alzheimer's, which could be connected to the abnormally high level of aluminium in her brain.[47][48]

 

You might be interested in “Professor Sir Simon Wessely – Right or Wrong?” written by Margaret Williams in 2013. There is a section about “The Camelford water poisoning tragedy” on pages 6 and 7. To read the document, go to –

http://www.margaretwilliams.me/2013/wessely-right-or-wrong_28oct2013.pdf

 

I also forgot to mention the wider context of this situation. If I remember correctly, it was at the time when the water companies were going to be privatised, and there was a suspicion that this accident might have an effect on that.

 

@Liv aka Mrs Sowester lives in the affected area and posted about it previously. Maybe on a PR thread.

I do hope she is doing OK as we haven't heard much from her recently.

 

She is watching the forum.

 

If I remember the conversation when this last came up correctly, there may have been a suspicion at the time that some unaffected local took advantage of the situation in the hopes of compensation of some sort.

However, in my eyes, just because that is a possibility it shouldn't be used to negate or minimise the effects on everyone involved.

 

One thing that seems odd about this is that the "investigation" is by a team of two people whose knowledge, skills, experience and views are probably largely interchangeable. Would one not reasonably expect one psychiatrist and one other, say, toxicologist or chemist? Given their past collaboration it seems unlikely that one would challenge the view of the other too strongly, or look for alternative explanations.

 

I met Doug a few times in the early 2000's at Green Environmental network and Environmental Law Society events. Sarah Myhill was also there as was Marty Pall. ( 2004?)

If he couldn't get justice with his credentials, who can? SW has an awful lot to answer for.

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/britains-worst-mass-water-poisoning-1760990

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Douglas_Cross3

Most of my career has been in environmental forensics, ranging across projects, pollution and even pirate attacks. Been held hostage, shot at, poisoned, (several times), and cross-examined by hostile barristers in Courts and Tribunals in sundry places and conditions. Developed new tech, exposed old, discredited the statistics, irritated the hell out of a lot of people but still the Clients come back for more! Call me?
2.19 · BSc (Hons) Zoology, Physiology,, Biochemistry, University of Southampton UK 1964

 

Subject: Multiple Chemical Sensitivity International (MCS International) -
London 2003

London 2003 Misdiagnosed Illnesses - what you can do medically and legally.

Despite 300 delegates on day one and 200 on day 2, there was no-one representing any of the official ME charities.

Next time it would be worthwhile the medical advisors attending particularly, as I feel the conference had huge relevance to ME/CFSsufferers.

Not one MP or MEP attended!

It would be good to see links forged with both these charities and ME/CFS charities and groups. Dr. Badsha has offered to be a speaker at any event and share mutual interests. The charities are attempting to
set up a treatment/ therapy centre for the severely affected.

The following link leads to the transcript of this important presentation.

The workshop with Professor Pall was very thought provoking too.

All transcripts are available together with a video which is in preparation. ;

http://www.elc.org.uk/frames/events.htm

 

By 'forum' I mean various ones on Science for Me - I don't know if she's watching this thread.