Title
Association between Adverse Health Effects Reflected in Elevated Hospitalization Rates and Industrial Contaminants (Phase 2)
Fiscal Year
2001-2002
Community/Region
Tl’azt’en Nation, British Columbia
Principal Investigator
Andrew Jin
Community Project Lead
N/A
Project Members
N/A

Project Summary
Members of the Tl’azt’en Nation faced higher rates of hospitalization than other non-Indigenous people in British Columbia. The uncertainty about possible linkages between the by-products of industrial activity and the poor health experienced by Tl’azt’en community members generated a clinically measurable collective anxiety. This anxiety led to the gradual abandonment of traditional foods as a principal source of protein and a shift to commercially processed foods. The objective of this project was to assess the safety of traditional foods in this area.
The project team collected samples of soil, sediment, water (surface and drinking), fish, animals, and plants. They analysed the samples for heavy metals (e.g., arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
This project found arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury were detectable in the various samples, but generally occurred at low levels. Since chronic exposure to cadmium could be a health concern, the study authors recommended adults consume moose kidney and liver in modest amounts only. They stated children and individuals who smoke should avoid them altogether. Other than lake trout, the project team determined the levels of mercury in fish did not pose a threat to human health and no restrictions on fish consumption were necessary. They recommended ongoing monitoring of mercury levels in lake trout. Concentrations of selenium, nickel, and chromium in soil samples exceeded the guidelines for agricultural soil set by Health Canada and the team recommended further investigation to determine the cause of the soil contamination.