Connect with us

Health

Aftermath of Canadian submarine fire: PTSD, asthma and depression

Published

4 years ago

7 minute read

canadian-submarine-image

HALIFAX — The commander of the Royal Canadian Navy issued an apology Thursday to the sailors who fought a deadly fire aboard the submarine HMCS Chicoutimi in 2004, saying a five-year delay in releasing a study on their health is unacceptable.

“For this delay, for which I can offer no explanation … and for our failure to continue communicating routinely with the ex-crew during the intervening period, I have offered my unreserved apology,” Vice-Admiral Art McDonald told a news conference at Canadian Forces Base Halifax.

“We should have done better, and we will do better.”

The study, which should have been released in 2014, found the submariners suffered from elevated levels of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and asthma between 2004 and 2009. However, no cases of cancer were reported during that time frame.

The used British submarine, one of four purchased by the Canadian military in 1998, was on its maiden voyage to Canada on Oct. 5, 2004, when it caught fire in rough seas off the coast of Ireland.

Navy Lt. Chris Saunders later died from smoke inhalation, and two other crew members were badly injured by the toxic fumes.

“He and his family will forever remain in the thoughts of the Royal Canadian Navy,” McDonald said. “Each and every sailor on board Chicoutimi acted admirably and heroically.”

After the fire, virtually all of the crew spent an additional five days on the sub — working on equipment covered in grey soot — as it was towed to safety in Scotland.

Another group of military personnel, a 42-member contingent known as the care and custody team, provided security and maintenance for the submarine after it arrived in Scotland.

Their health during the first five years was compared with the sub’s crew and a control group made up of 152 healthy submariners.

Navy officials confirmed that one crew member died in 2016, but they declined to confirm the cause of death, citing privacy concerns.

The study found 60 per cent of the sailors aboard the vessel when it caught fire were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress within five years.

That means the 56 crew members were 45 times more likely to be diagnosed with PTSD than the control group, none of whom reported a PTSD diagnosis. The rate of PTSD among the custody team was one per cent.

Col. Rakesh Jetly, the military’s senior psychiatrist, said it would be difficult to say anything conclusive about the PTSD numbers.

“The reality is, it’s a number,” he told the news conference. “We don’t have a comparison group. It’s not like there’s seven similar sub fires within our NATO alliance that we can compare our rates to the other.”

However, Jetly said it was important to note that all of the submariners had been exposed to a deeply traumatizing event.

“Within seconds, in a high sea state, a complete blackout. You couldn’t see. A fire was there. There were casualties … It’s one of those events that imprints on people … The number 60 per cent? It wouldn’t be surprising if it was higher.”

The study also found that between 2004 and 2009, 21 per cent of crew members reported suffering from asthma and 15 per cent were battling depression — rates well above what was found within the custody and control groups.

The study also found the submariners required more sick leave, and the proportion of sailors released from the military for medical reasons — 12.5 per cent — was more than double the rate for the other two groups.

However, no cases of cancer were reported among the crew during that time period, even though the military has confirmed the sailors were exposed to a nasty chemical cocktail in the thick, black smoke that filled the vessel.

The navy shared the results with serving and former sailors earlier in the day, and officials offered them three options for a longer-term study that will look at the period between 2009 and 2019.

Over the past 14 years, many sailors have come forward to state they were worried about being exposed to toxic fumes that are known to cause cancer, but the navy has repeatedly noted that the fire was extinguished quickly, resulting in limited exposure.

In May 2005, a board of inquiry determined that as the sub’s conning tower was being repaired on the surface, a rogue wave pushed a torrent of seawater through two open hatches, partially flooding two compartments and causing an electrical short-circuit and fire.

In June 2008, the navy produced an 89-page report that said the fumes and soot likely contained recognized carcinogens such as benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins and furans.

And it said the crew likely inhaled cancer-causing contaminants.

”The actual risk of developing cancer will depend on the amount, or dose, of exposure,” the report said.

The report also found that the known carcinogen Peridite — a noxious insulation adhesive — was among the materials that burned in the blaze.

At the time, military officials insisted it was unlikely crew would develop any form of cancer since their exposure was limited to the fire and the five days they spent breathing in the fumes.

Though the 2005 board of inquiry concluded that “human factors” contributed to the tragedy, the submarine’s captain and crew were cleared of any blame.

The 700-page report recommended numerous improvements to Canada’s submarine fleet, including more splash-proof electrical insulation, better firefighting training, and restrictions on when a sub’s surface hatches can be open.

Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press




Related Topics:

Storytelling is in our DNA. We provide credible, compelling multimedia storytelling and services in English and French to help captivate your digital, broadcast and print audiences. As Canada’s national news agency for 100 years, we give Canadians an unbiased news source, driven by truth, accuracy and timeliness.

Follow Author

More from this author
National / 4 hours ago

Canada handles Honduras with ease, advances to CONCACAF Nations League final four

Alberta / 4 hours ago

Nugent-Hopkins, Oilers roll past Golden Knights 7-4

Alberta / 4 hours ago

Markstrom reigns over Kings as Flames win 2-1

Business

Budget 2023: Key highlights from the federal Liberals’ spending plan

Published on March 28, 2023

By

Copies of the Federal budget are seen on a table Tuesday, March 28, 2023 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

By Stephanie Taylor in Ottawa

The federal Liberal government has released a 2023-24 spending plan that prioritizes spending on health care, transitioning Canadian businesses to a clean economy and offering affordability measures to help Canadians dealing with high prices from inflation.

Here are the key highlights from this year’s federal budget:

– $40.1 billion: Projected federal deficit for the coming fiscal year.

– $59.5 billion: New spending over the next five years, with $8.3 billion to be spent over the coming fiscal year.

– $83 billion: The expected cost of tax credits for clean energy and electricity through to the 2034-35 fiscal year. The credits are part of Ottawa’s stated goal to rapidly develop Canada’s green economy.

– $13 billion: Expected cost of the Canada dental benefit over the next five years, or $7.3 billion more than the government initially projected.

– $49.4 billion: The amount of health-care cash flowing to provinces and territories in the 2023-24 year.

– $4.5 billion: Expected cost of a clean technology manufacturing investment tax credit over five years.

– $2.5 billion: The cost of another one-time doubling of GST rebates this financial year to help low-income Canadians who are struggling with high prices and inflation. The government has dubbed this measure a “grocery rebate,” a nod to high food prices.

– $4 billion: How much the federal government says it plans to spend over seven years on an urban, rural and northern Indigenous housing strategy, beginning in 2024-25. But only $1.9 billion is expected to be spent in the next five years.

– An unknown amount: Finance officials would not specify how much Ottawa spent in an agreement with Volkswagen that will see the company build a battery manufacturing plant, called a “gigafactory,” in St. Thomas, Ont. They said more details will be revealed in the weeks to come. The budget document stipulates that the expected costs are accounted for in this year’s spending tables. Measures not yet announced have a line item in the budget that accounts for decisions related to commercial sensitivity, but the number is presented as an aggregate.

– $158 million: Funding over three years, starting this year, to create and operate a new 9-8-8 suicide prevention phone line.

– $14 per $100: What the federal government says will be the new maximum amount that payday lenders can charge people for the amount they borrow. The budget says a Criminal Code amendment will be made to that effect, while the government also intends to lower the maximum interest rates payday lenders can charge to an annual percentage rate of 35 per cent.

– “Reciprocal treatment”: What Ottawa is announcing consultations about in response to the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, which threatens to freeze out Canadian businesses, including green technology firms, from tax credits offered south of the border.

– $56 million: Spending allocated for “protecting diaspora communities and all Canadians from foreign interference, threats and covert activities.” The budget announces funding for the RCMP to investigate foreign interference allegations, and says Public Safety Canada will stand up a new National Counter-Foreign Interference Office to respond to any attempted meddling by Russia, China and Iran.

– $200 million: The amount the government aims to provide to the Department of National Defence so the Canadian military can donate equipment to assist Ukraine, including the eight Leopard 2 battle tanks that the government previously announced it would deliver.

– Anti-scab legislation: The government is proposing to amend the Canada Labour Code to prohibit the use of replacement workers during a strike or lockout, fulling a commitment the Liberals made to the federal NDP in their supply-and-confidence agreement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2023.

Continue Reading

Health

Job opportunities: Red Deer Primary Care Network hiring a Support Nurse and a Pharmacist

Published on March 27, 2023

By

Please forward these postings to potential applicants

Support Nurse
(Panel Manager/Practice Facilitator)
Temporary Full Time Position (1 year with possibility to extend)

Our Support Nurses are excited about being part of an innovative organization that puts patients first. Continuous quality improvement is in our DNA.

A day in the life of a Support Nurse at the Red Deer Primary Care Network includes:

 Identifying patient panels with physicians and clinic staff
 Collaborating with a team of RDPCN family physicians and other health care professionals to engage, encourage and support patient health
 Prevention and health promotion through routine screening according to guidelines

If you:

 are a Licensed Practical Nurse
 hold membership in good standing with CLPNA,
 have experience with excel and word,
 Mandatory COVID-19 immunization policy in effect.

Act Now. APPLY

See our website for full job description. Submit your curriculum vitae to [email protected] or by fax to 403.342.9502

Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Open until suitable candidate is found

Pharmacist
(0.8 – 1.0 FTE Permanent)

We are seeking a qualified Pharmacist with exceptional communication skills to fill a permanent 0.8-1.0 FTE. The Pharmacist will enhance primary care through the provision of services for patients in the patient’s medical home. Within the generalist pharmacist role, you will provide pharmacy services to the population of patients seen by the family physician. Areas of focus include structured medication reviews relating to chronic pain management and geriatric assessment, as well as other medication.

We are looking for someone who has:

 A multidisciplinary team philosophy.
 Recent complex care clinical experience
 Must have strong values towards teamwork and interpersonal skills.
 Excellent knowledge of community resources.
 Current professional registration
 Mandatory COVID-19 immunization policy in effect.

Act Now and Apply

Submit your curriculum vitae to [email protected] or by fax to 403.342.9502

Only selected candidates for an interview will be contacted.

Continue Reading

Trending

X