Title

A community‐based monitoring study to establish baseline fish mercury and heavy metal concentrations in the traditional territory of Temagami First Nation

Fiscal Year

2014-2015

Community/Region

Temagami First Nation, Ontario

Principal Investigator

Dr. Murray Richardson (Carleton University)

Community Project Lead

Daisy Fannin

Project Members

John D. Millar,  Dr. John Chetelat, Delma Peshabo and Chris Landriault

Project Summary

Dietary exposure to heavy metals has been a particular concern for Indigenous communities consuming fish and other wildlife, especially those communities living near mineral-rich regions with abundant mining activities. Members of the Temagami First Nation community in Northern Ontario were concerned about potential health risks associated with eating fish and other wildlife. The objective of this study was to measure levels of mercury and other heavy metals in fish species from lakes in the traditional territory of Temagami First Nation.

The project team collected samples of fish species as well as water samples and analyzed them for 31 trace elements including heavy metals, such as mercury, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and lead.

Overall, the concentrations of mercury and other trace metals were within the normal range of values for fish in Ontario lakes. Northern pike and pickerel had the highest levels of mercury concentrations, with  some samples exceeding the 0.5 ppm mercury limit set by Health Canada for commercial fish. The study recommended children and women of childbearing age limit their consumption of large predatory fish. As part of this project, the local elementary school engaged youth at Temagami First Nation in the research and  dissemination of information to the community about the study’s methodology, progress, and results.