Title

Nay Yun Nzoo Environmental Contaminants Project (Phase 2)

Fiscal Year

2002-2003

Community/Region

Nak’azdli Band Council, British Columbia

Principal Investigator

Andrew Jin, MD

Community Project Lead

N/A

Project Members

N/A

Project Summary

The Nak’azdli Band was concerned with the possible impact of environmental pollution on the health of Band members. The Band was focussed on industrial activities in close proximity to the community such as mining and forestry operations, and pesticide/ herbicide use. The objective of this study was to identify if the band members and local environment had been exposed to contaminants

The project team collected hair samples from volunteers of the Nak’azdli Band which they analyzed for methylmercury and other metals and substances (e.g., aluminium, arsenic, barium, beryllium, cadmium, calcium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, lithium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, silicon, sodium, strontium, tin, titanium, vanadium, and zinc). They also collected samples of plants, animal tissue (fish, moose, beaver, and hare), and drinking water for metal analysis.  Although participation was open to anyone, the study sample was biased towards individuals who consumed locally caught fish and other traditional foods regularly.

The project team found no evidence of elevated levels of methylmercury in hair samples. The study concluded that, with the exception of lake trout, there was no risk of mercury contamination from eating fish. In general, no restrictions on fish consumption were necessary. The study did recommend limiting the consumption of lake trout and continual monitoring. The team felt the number of samples taken was insufficient to draw more definitive conclusions.

The study also found cadmium accumulation in beaver and moose organs may potentially pose a threat to human health. They recommended adults limit their consumption of kidney and liver from beaver and moose. Individuals who smoke and children should avoid them entirely. The results suggested that there was no need to impose limits on the consumption of muscle meat from these animals as the concentrations of metals in muscle meat were much lower than in the organs. Lastly, this study recommended further evaluation of soil and drinking water for possible glyphosate herbicide contamination.