Title

Baseline Biomonitoring Studies and Survey of Child-Youth Health as Prerequisites to Epidemiological Studies to Assess the Health Risk of the Attawapiskat First Nation and Walpole Island First Nation Communities from Exposure to Environmental Contaminants

Fiscal Year

2009-2010

Community/Region

Walpole Island and Attawapiskat First Nations (Wallaceburg), Ontario

Principal Investigator

Dr. J. Bend

Community Project Lead

N/A

Project Members

Phaedra Henley, Zahra Jahedmotlagh, J. Hill, K. Schoeman, Alex Xu, M. Jane Tucker, Regna Darnell, Christianne Stephens, Michael J. Rieder, Gideon Koren, Stan van Uum, Carol P. Herbert, Barbara Lent, Bradley A. Corbett, Charles G. Trick, Dr. Judy Peters, Dr. Dean Jacobs, Joyce Johnson, Naomi Williams, Rosemary M. Williams, Norbert Witt and Jackie Hookimaw-Witt

Project Summary

Many community members from the Walpole Island First Nation (WIFN) and Attawapiskat First Nation (AttFN) believe their health has been negatively impacted by environmental contaminants, including toxic metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs), in their traditional food and water supplies,

Therefore, the objective of this study was to estimate current community exposures to common metals and persistent organic pollutants by monitoring its concentrations in 10 different traditional foods and in hair and blood samples of volunteers from each community. Cortisol levels in hair were also measured as a biomarker for stress. Self-reported and objective health status was assessed through interviews, questionnaires and a review of health records.

Of the fish and game species sampled from WIFN, walleye and woodcock contained the highest levels of total PCBs. However, almost all PCB congeners were found at higher concentrations in the plasma of AttFN volunteers compared to WIFN volunteers, which is of concern given the association between PCBs and the risk for type 2 diabetes.

No consistent downward trend in fish mercury content over time was observed at WIFN, suggesting that exposure to methylmercury via ingestion of fish remains a legitimate issue for the community. The results from the hair analysis demonstrated that the levels of mercury in hair were within Health Canada’s guidelines for the general population in both First Nations. However, 7 females of reproductive age at WIFN and 8 females of reproductive age from AttFN exceeded the conservatively established lowest observable adverse effect level (LOAEL) for mercury in sensitive populations.

Given that methylmercury exposure can be effectively controlled by modifying fish consumption and that exposure levels can be verified by hair biomonitoring, the development of dietary fish consumption guidelines for First Nations communities before and during pregnancy was considered worthwhile. With appropriate approvals from WIFN and AttFN Chief and Council, individual follow-up was to be conducted with the women whose mercury levels exceeded the LOAELs to provide them with a dietary plan to decrease their mercury exposure, especially if they plan to become pregnant.