Title

Assessment of exposure to metals through the ingestion of moose for members of Swan River First Nation

Fiscal Year

2014-2015

Community/Region

Swan River First Nation, Alberta

Principal Investigator

Dr. Ave Dersch (Moccasin Flower Consulting)

Community Project Lead

Darryel Sowan

Project Members

Claire McAuley and Stephane Decelles

Project Summary

Moose has been a principal component of traditional foods consumed by Swan River First Nation providing dietary, social, and cultural benefits to the community. The community members were concerned about potential impacts of oil and gas activities as well as the Swan Hills Waste Treatment Centre on the quality of traditional foods, particularly moose, harvested from the Nation’s traditional territories.

The study team measured the levels of persistent organic pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), dioxins and furans, and heavy metals (e.g., including cadmium, arsenic, lead and mercury) in samples of moose meat. They compared these levels to the level of contaminants  in moose from neighbouring communities and in red meat available in Canadian supermarkets. In addition, the project team administered a food frequency questionnaire to collect information on moose consumption patterns among members of the Swan River First Nation.

The concentrations of measured contaminants in samples of moose meat were generally low and similar to levels of contaminants in moose from neighbouring communities and in red meat from Canadian supermarkets. The study concluded moose meat and moose heart were safe to eat at existing consumption rates reported in the study. However, the study found cadmium concentrations to be elevated in moose kidney and liver. Cadmium tends to accumulate in organs over an animal’s lifetime and organ meat from younger animals is expected to have lower levels of cadmium. The study recommended community members consume organ meat from younger animals rather than older animals.