Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Nov 02/01) - A team of contaminants specialists and a health official are advising people to eat a variety of traditional foods.

They toured four Deh Cho communities last week to inform residents of existing contaminants in commonly consumed foods like fish and caribou.

While toxic substances such as mercury and cadmium are found in trace amounts, it shouldn't be blown out of proportion, said Denise Maxwell, a contaminants specialist with the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (DIAND).

"You don't have to stop eating traditional foods ... they're generally healthier than the food your going to get if you go to the Northern store," she said.

Erica Myles, with the GNWT's health protection unit, encouraged Fort Simpson residents to eat various types of fish and other wild game to benefit from the high nutritional value without running the risk of consuming too much tainted meat. She said that an unwarranted fear of eating traditional foods could lead to even higher rates of obesity and diabetes as people eat store-bought foods rich in fat and sugar.

Lyle Lockhart, a biochemist with 30 years experience, said mercury, which can damage the central nervous system (vision, hearing, memory and co-ordination), is a naturally occurring substance in rocks. It's also produced through man-made activities such as burning fuel and garbage, and smelting mineral ores. It's impossible to tell whether the mercury in fish is due to man or nature, Lockhart said.

"Mercury has always been with us and it will always be with us," he said. "As humans we're moving mercury around in ways nature never did."

Generally, predatory fish like lake trout and Northern pike (jackfish) contain more mercury than non-predatory fish like whitefish and suckers. As well, the larger the fish, the more mercury it stores.

For this reason, Myles advises eating different types of smaller fish from different lakes. Health Canada has created consumption advisories for those who regularly eat fish with higher than acceptable levels of mercury from the same lakes. For example, lake trout from Cli Lake should be limited to 225 grams per week -- that's a little more than the weight of a can of tuna, Lockhart noted. The limit is lower for pregnant women.

However, there is no advised consumption limit for lake trout from nearby Little Doctor Lake, where the mercury content is lower.

Overall, the level of contaminants in the North is relatively low, especially compared to areas such as the Great Lakes, according to Lockhart.