Title

Traditional Environmental Monitoring and Risk Communication Project (TEMRCP)

Fiscal Year

2007-2008

Community/Region

Lesser Slave Lake Indian Regional Council (Slave Lake), Alberta

Principal Investigator

John Dennis

Community Project Lead

Rose Laboucan

Project Members

Edna Willier, Dave Thompson, Gordon Fick, Kenneth Froese, Ginger Gibson and Carolyn Whittaker

Project Summary

The Traditional Environmental Monitoring and Risk Communication Project (TEMRCP) was a multi-year study of the concentrations of persistent organic pollutants in the First Nations community of Lesser Slave Lake Indian Regional Council (LSLIRC). The residents of communities around Lesser Slave Lake, Alberta were concerned with the impacts of environmental contaminants on their traditional diet. The objective of the first year of this study was to investigate the health risks from eating moose meat. This meat was of most concern and had not received much attention in past studies.

The project team collected samples of moose harvested from the region and tested them for dioxins, furans, and PCBs. The researchers trained local hunters on appropriate methods of sample collection and transport. The project team also sampled store bought meat from the homes of LSLIRC communities.

The concentrations of contaminants measured in these moose samples were well below Health Canada guidelines and close to the levels found in store bought food. Based on these findings, the team concluded moose was safe to eat, even in the higher quantities consumed by First Nations. They planned further capacity building and risk communication activities for subsequent years.