Table of Contents
- Yukon Contaminant Biomonitoring: Old Crow
- Exposure to Food Chain Contaminants in Nunavik: Biomonitoring in Adult and Youth Cohorts of the Qanuilirpitaa? Survey (Year 3)
- Exposure to Food Chain Contaminants in Nunavik: Evaluating Spatial and Time Trends Among Pregnant Women and Implementing Effective Health Communication for Healthy Pregnancies and Children (Year 4 of 4)
- Country Foods for Good Health: Developing a Country Food Database for the Inuvialuit Settlement Region
Yukon Contaminant Biomonitoring: Old Crow
Project Leader
Brian Laird, University of Waterloo
Team Members
Mary Gamberg, Gamberg Consulting; Megan Williams, Vuntut Gwich’in Government; Chris Furgal, Trent University; Amanda Boyd, Washington State University; Kelly Skinner and Mylène Ratelle, University of Waterloo; Michèle Bouchard, University of Montreal
Funds
$233,163
Project Summary (2019-2020)
Yukon Contaminant Biomonitoring: Old Crow is a human biomonitoring survey in Old Crow, Yukon that looks at levels of contaminants like lead, mercury, and chemicals used for crop growth in humans.
In Northern Canada, wild foods like moose, caribou, and fish are very important for the health and well-being of Indigenous communities. Previous studies in the Yukon have shown high levels of particular contaminants in some species of wild food. As a result, residents are concerned about the safety of their food sources. This study will continue to address these concerns through the human biomonitoring survey launched in 2018-2019. The resulting levels of metals, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), emerging contaminants and data from traditional food surveys will be returned to Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation (VGFN) leadership, participants and community members for closer consideration. Furthermore, this work will assess the impact of public health messages on risk perception and awareness of contaminants while maintaining partnerships with Yukon First Nations, territorial representatives and research scientists. This research will help inform public health communication strategies that promote the use of traditional foods while limiting people’s exposure to contaminants.
Exposure to Food Chain Contaminants in Nunavik: Biomonitoring in Adult and Youth Cohorts of the Qanuilirpitaa? Survey (Year 3)
Project Leaders
Pierre Ayotte and Mélanie Lemire, Université Laval
Team Members
Pierre Dumas, Insitut National de Santé Publique du Québec; Michel Lucas,Université Laval; Gina Muckle, Richard Bélanger, Benoit Lévesque and Matthew Little, Université Laval; Élyse Caron-Beaudoin, Université de Montréal; Chris Furgal, Trent University
Funds
$381,858
Project Summary (2019-2020)
Inuit are exposed to a wide range of environmental contaminants through their diet, which is comprised of significant amounts of fish and marine mammals. During the past 25 years, our team has studied human exposure to chemicals like persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and metals, starting with the Santé Québec Inuit Health Survey in 1992, which was followed by the Qanuippitaa? 2004 Health Survey. In this three-year project, we will look at contaminants and key nutrient levels in participants from our most recent Qanuilirpitaa? 2017 Health Survey.
Levels of most legacy POPs have decreased over time in air/water/sediment and wildlife, and as we learned from our previous surveys from 1992 to 2004, decreased in Inuit as well. Although levels of mercury and lead in Inuit are decreasing, contaminants are still important concerns particularly among childbearing and pregnant women in Nunavik. New chemicals come into use each year, some of which reach the Arctic food chain, and very little is known about potential effects on Inuit health, whether levels of these contaminants differ over time or in different regions. This project will also help international work that looks at long-range contaminant exposure among people in the Arctic, support global efforts to reduce or eliminate certain potentially harmful chemicals in the environment, and help us to better understand both benefits and risks of eating country foods in the Arctic.
Exposure to Food Chain Contaminants in Nunavik: Evaluating Spatial and Time Trends Among Pregnant Women and Implementing Effective Health Communication for Healthy Pregnancies and Children (Year 4 of 4)
Project Leaders
Mélanie Lemire and Pierre Ayotte, Université Laval
Chris Furgal, Trent University
Team Members
Mario Brisson and Sylvie Ricard, Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services; Amanda D. Boyd, Washington State University; Catherine Pirkle, University of Hawaii at Mānoa
Funds
$182,505
Project Summary (2019-2020)
Inuit are exposed to a wide range of environmental contaminants through their traditional diet, which includes significant amounts of fish and sea mammals. Conversely, these country foods are of optimal nutritional quality and are important for healthy pregnancies and children. During the past 20 years, our team has monitored the exposure of Nunavik’s Inuit population to persistent organic pollutants (POPs), metals, and country food nutrients. In this period, exposure to most legacy POPs in wildlife and circumpolar Inuit is decreasing. However, more recent POPs are increasing and biomonitoring remains critical to provide scientific evidence for international actions. Reduced country food consumption has also decreased after confirmed lowered mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb) levels, but still pregnant women presented with blood levels above recommended guidelines in 2016-2017.
For many years, we have worked on multiple related projects to assess local sources of Hg, Pb and nutrients in Nunavik, to understand their effects on pregnancy outcomes and child development and how to best communicate this information and reduce their exposure. Together with the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services (NRBHSS), we now propose to integrate Hg and Pb exposure assessment and counselling into pregnancy clinical follow-up across Nunavik. We may also include other contaminants and nutrients biomonitoring in these activities. In order to carefully plan these new joint clinical and research activities, we aim to undertake a series of consultations and information sessions with Nunavik health professionals about the Nutaratsaliit Qanuingisiarningit Niqituinnanut – Pregnancy wellness with country foods project (NQN) over the next year to (1) identify their information needs and offer information sessions with respect to Hg and Pb exposures and related health outcomes; (2) document their views on the feasibility, tools and linkages needed to integrate Hg and Pb exposure assessment and counselling into clinical activities for pregnancy follow-up; (3) evaluate the feasibility of integrating research objectives (i.e. clinical intervention effectiveness, biomonitoring for other contaminants and nutrients) into the proposed clinical activities.
Previous NQN project findings and these consultations are critical to carefully plan and implement the joint clinical and research activities over the coming years for successful pregnant women counselling and contaminant biomonitoring for healthy pregnancies and children in Nunavik. The project is focused in Nunavik, however has potential applicability in other Arctic regions and also at the international scale.
Country Foods for Good Health: Developing a Country Food Database for the Inuvialuit Settlement Region
Project Leaders
Brian Laird and Sonja Ostertag, University of Waterloo
Team Members
Kelly Skinner, Mylène Ratelle and Ken Stark, University of Waterloo; Lisa Loseto, Colin Gallagher, Karen Dunmall and Ellen Lea, Freshwater Institute, University of Manitoba; Susan Kutz, University of Calgary; Emily Jenkins, University of Saskatchewan; Allan Torng, GNWT Health and Social Services; Shaun Courmier, Tuktoyaktuk Community Corporation
Funds
$133,285
Project Summary (2019-2020)
This research has two main aims: 1) to generate current, regional data on contaminants in country foods in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR); and 2) to revise a Health Messages Survey to identify how messaging about country foods influences decision-making by Inuvialuit as well as how Inuvialuit would like contaminant information to be communicated. This research will build on existing biological monitoring programs and partnerships with communities in the Northwest Territories (NWT) to support future biomonitoring and human health risk-benefit assessments in the ISR. This research also complements a proposed dietary and food security project in the ISR. Tissue samples will be collected from fish, birds, marine mammals and terrestrial mammals through community-based sampling in Paulatuk and Tuktoyaktuk and in collaboration with current biological monitoring programs in the ISR. Over the two-year project, country food samples will be analyzed for legacy contaminants (i.e. internationally regulated persistent organic pollutants) and heavy metals (mercury, methylmercury, lead and cadmium) in country foods. Concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids will be determined for future health assessments on the benefits associated with the consumption of country foods. Samples will be archived for possible future analyses of emerging (newer) contaminants and nutrient markers. Through this approach, the study will provide critical supporting information for other related research programs (e.g., ArcticNet, Inuit Health Survey).