Kassina Ryder
Northern News Services
Thursday, September 4, 2008

Nunavut - Contaminant levels in certain Arctic animals have declined in recent years, according to a study released earlier this year.

Laurie Chan, project leader for the study and a professor at the University of Northern British Columbia, said the study suggests many of the chemicals in country food often consumed by Northerners have decreased.

"We looked at the updated contaminant levels in some of the traditional food items and we found that some of the organochlorines, like PCBs, have come down," Chan said. "So we estimate that people's exposure will be lower as well."

He said the study was based primarily on marine mammals and fish and on food consumption data that was collected in the late 1990s.

Chan is also involved in the contaminant studies aspect of the Inuit Health Survey.

"The estimate was based on new contaminant information, but old food use data," he said. "Now with the Inuit Health Survey, we expect to have some results later this year, probably November, and that will include updated food use data and updated contaminant data."

The Inuit Health Survey is collecting new food samples from the regions they visit and is also collecting blood samples from Inuit in those areas.

"When we finish all the data analysis we will have a very good estimate about how much contaminants are coming from what foods, and how much of the contaminants are accumulated in the body of the people," he said.

Stronger legislation regarding the use of toxic chemicals around the world is one of the reasons for the reduction of contaminants in traditional foods, Chan said.

"I suspect that because of all these long-term efforts in stricter regulations, we're starting to see the levels starting to decrease," he said.

The study also showed that not all contaminants had declined, Chan added. Mercury levels were shown to be much the same as they were in the past.

More data is needed for ringed seal meat and caribou, Chan also said. Caribou meat was not included in the study.

"For mercury, we need more information in ringed seal meat and caribou meat because people are eating a lot of caribou and we don't have much data about mercury in caribou," he said.

The study's findings are good news for Northerners because of the health benefits of eating traditional foods, according to Andrew Dunford, co-chair of the Nunavut Environmental Contaminants Committee. He said the nutrition obtained from eating traditional foods is substantial, regardless of pollutants that may be present.

"The benefits from these foods far outweigh the concerns," Dunford said.