Contaminant Biomonitoring in the Northwest Territories Mackenzie Valley: Investigating the Links Between Contaminant Exposure, Nutritional Status, and Country Food Use

Hotıì ts’eeda Northwest Territories Spor Support Unit Publication https://nwtspor.ca/projects/contaminant-bio-monitoring-northwest-territories-mackenzie-valley-investigating-links

Human biological samples (hair, blood, urine) were collected from participants from the Mackenzie Valley Region, Northwest Territories, and tested for various contaminant and nutrient biomarkers (for including metals and POPs). As well, simple demographic data (age, sex, weight, height, etc.), dietary data (traditional food consumption frequencies over the past year using a food frequency questionnaire and recent food consumption with a 24-hour recall survey), and risk perception and communication preferences (survey) were also collected from participants.

This contaminant biomonitoring project investigated levels of contaminant exposure in participating communities in the Mackenzie River Valley of the Northwest Territories. This project was created in response to concerns from communities about elevated levels of contaminants that had been detected in some local wildlife. Along with contaminant biomarkers, nutrient biomarkers were also measured in human biological samples so that this work could incorporate a risk benefit approach to promote the consumption of traditional foods in order to increase nutrition and food security while decreasing contaminant exposure.

Datasets related document: Hotıì ts’eeda Northwest Territories Spor Support Unit Publication https://nwtspor.ca/projects/contaminant-bio-monitoring-northwest-territories-mackenzie-valley-investigating-links Also related: Ratelle, M., Laird, M., Majowicz, S., Skinner, K., Swanson, H., & Laird, B. (2018). Design of a human biomonitoring community-based project in the Northwest Territories Mackenzie Valley, Canada, to investigate the links between nutrition, contaminants and country foods. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 77(1), 1510714. Ratelle, M., Skinner, K., Laird, M. J., Majowicz, S., Brandow, D., Packull-McCormick, S., ... & Hanning, R. (2018). Implementation of human biomonitoring in the Dehcho region of the Northwest Territories, Canada (2016–2017). Archives of Public Health, 76(1), 73. Laird, M. J., Henao, J. J. A., Reyes, E. S., Stark, K. D., Low, G., Swanson, H. K., & Laird, B. D. (2018). Mercury and omega-3 fatty acid profiles in freshwater fish of the Dehcho Region, Northwest Territories: Informing risk benefit assessments. Science of The Total Environment, 637, 1508-1517.

Not available because of human subjects data.