First Nations Biomonitoring Initiative: National Results 2011 by the Assembly of First Nations.
Copyright © National Indian Brotherhood, 2013
This report can be cited as:
Stuart Wuttke, Elsa LaCorte, Diego Garcia, and Maria Ooi. First Nations Biomonitoring Initiative: National Results (2011). Assembly of First Nations, 2013. Print.
About the Assembly of First Nations
The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is the national, political representative of First Nations governments and their citizens in Canada, including those living on reserve and in urban and rural areas. Every Chief in Canada is entitled to be a member of the Assembly. The National Chief is elected by the Chiefs in Canada, who in turn are elected by their citizens.
The role and function of the Assembly is to serve as a national delegated forum for determining and harmonizing effective collective and co-operative measures on any subject matter that the First Nations delegate for review, study, response or action, and ultimately for advancing the aspirations of First Nations.
For more information, please contact us at: 55 Metcalfe Street, Suite 1600 Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6L5
Telephone: 613-241-6789 Toll-Free: 1-866-869-6789 Fax: 613-241-5808 or visit the AFN Web site: www.afn.ca
first nations biomonitoring initiative
table of contents
Foreword by national chieF shawn a-in-chut atleo 10
1. research team 11
1.1 research team ....................................................................................................................... 11
1.2 acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ 12
2. executive summary 13
2.1 results ..................................................................................................................................... 13
3. introduction to biomonitoring 15
4. background and rationale 16
4.1 First nation ownership of data: .......................................................................................... 17
5. survey design 18
5.1 Pilot study .............................................................................................................................. 18
5.2 target Population and selection criteria ............................................................................ 18
5.3 methodology .......................................................................................................................... 18
5.4 limitations ............................................................................................................................. 18
5.5 Fieldwork and laboratory analysis ..................................................................................... 18
5.6 data collection ....................................................................................................................... 19
5.7 reporting results to Participants: ....................................................................................... 19
5.8 considerations for interpreting the biomonitoring data4: ............................................... 19
5.9 data analysis .......................................................................................................................... 20
6. ethical considerations 22
7. chemicals measured 23
national results
8. results by chemical grouP: metals and trace elements 24
8.1 antimony ................................................................................................................................ 24
8.2 arsenic .................................................................................................................................... 32
8.3 cadmium ................................................................................................................................ 43
8.4 copper .................................................................................................................................... 54
08.5 lead ....................................................................................................................................... 66
8.6 manganese .............................................................................................................................. 77
8.7 mercury ................................................................................................................................... 88
8.8 molybdenum ......................................................................................................................... 103
8.9 nickel .................................................................................................................................... 115
8.10 selenium ............................................................................................................................. 126
8.11 uranium .............................................................................................................................. 138
8.12 vanadium ............................................................................................................................ 149
8.13 Zinc ..................................................................................................................................... 157
8.14 organochlorines ................................................................................................................ 171
8.14.1Aldrin........................................................................................................................................................171
8.14.2Chlordane................................................................................................................................................179
8.14.3Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane(DDT).........................................................................................211
8.14.4Hexachlorobenzene..............................................................................................................................226
8.14.5Hexachlorocyclohexane.......................................................................................................................234
8.14.6Mirex.........................................................................................................................................................248
8.14.7Toxaphene................................................................................................................................................256
8.15 Polychlorinated biphenyls (Pcbs) ................................................................................... 271
8.16 Polybrominated Flame retardants .................................................................................. 423
8.17 Perfluorinated compounds (PFcs) ................................................................................. 485
8.18 environmental Phenol ....................................................................................................... 515
8.18.1BisphenolA..............................................................................................................................................515
8.19 organophosphate insecticides ......................................................................................... 524
8.20 Pyrethroid insecticides ...................................................................................................... 562
8.21 Phenoxy herbicide ............................................................................................................ 595
8.21.12,4-DichlorophenoxyaceticAcid(2,4-D)..........................................................................................595
8.22 chlorophenol ..................................................................................................................... 603
8.22.12,4-Dichlorophenol(2,4-DCP)...........................................................................................................603
8.23 tobacco ............................................................................................................................... 611
8.23.1Cotinine...................................................................................................................................................611
8.24 Phthalates ........................................................................................................................... 624
8.25 conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 695
first nations biomonitoring initiative
aPPendices 697
appendix 1: First nations biomonitoring initiative Pilot study: design and lessons learned ........................................................................................ 697
appendix 2: sampling location within ecozones ............................................................................. 700
appendix 3: household Questionnaire ............................................................................................ 701
appendix 4: report of measurements ............................................................................................. 712
appendix 5: Fnbi sample collection Procedure. ........................................................................... 713
appendix 6: list of chemicals measured in the Fnbi .................................................................... 714
appendix 7: limits of detection (lod) for environmental chemicals measured in the Fnbi .................................................................................................. 717
appendix 8: individual consent Form .............................................................................................. 721
appendix 9: acronyms and abbreviations ....................................................................................... 723
appendix 10: Fnbi report on the weighting Process and variance estimation ......................... 724
appendix 11: Fnbi sample design .................................................................................................. 730
appendix 12: creatinine .................................................................................................................... 733
10 national resultsnational results
IamdelightedtointroducethisreportonbiomonitoringthatistheresultofcollaborativeworkbetweentheAssemblyofFirstNations,HealthCanada'sFirstNationsandInuitHealthBranch,andFirstNationcommunitiesacrossCanada.Thisisatimelyandusefulreport,whichprovidesbaselinedataonenvi-ronmentalcontaminantsfoundintheFirstNationon-reservepopulationacrossCanada.
TheFirstNationsBiomonitoringInitiativehasbeenavaluabletoolinstartingtoaddressthegapinknowledgeabouttheexposureandconcentrationsofenvironmentalcontaminantsinFirstNationpeople.ThisisthefirststudyofthistypetofocusspecificallyonFirstNationpeoplelivingon-reservethatisdoneonarepresentativecross-countryandecozonescale.Thedatacontainedinthisreportwillserveasareferenceforfutureresearchtodeterminechangesintheenvironment,increasesordecreasesintheconcentrationsofchemicalsofconcern,andpotentiallycontributetopublicpolicyontheuseofvariouschemicalsforindustrialorpersonaluseinCanada.
TheFirstNationsBiomonitoringInitiativeexaminesthepresenceofninety-sevenmetalsandchemicals.TheseincludeemergingcontaminantsofconcernsuchasbisphenolA(BPA),fireretardants,andchemicalsforwhichexposureguideline
levelshavenotyetbeenset.Thereportrecognizesthatthereismorethatweshouldlearnaboutexposuretohouseholdandindustrialchemicals.TheAFNisconfidentthattheresultsofthisInitiativewillcontributetotheemergingscienceandresearchbeingconductedinsimilarprojectsthroughouttheworld.ThisreportalsoidentifiescertaingapsthatwillrequireadditionalresearchbyFirstNationsandgovernmenttopursueaspartofcontinualeffortstorefinetheevidence-basedknowl-edge,essentialtosupportsoundpolicy-making.Anessentialtaskforthenearfutureistoensurethatourchildren'shealthisprotectednow,bydevelopingbetterknowledgeoftheirexposuretopotentiallyharmfulchemicals.
TheFirstNationsBiomonitoringInitiativeinvolvedfifteenFirstNationcommunitiesinallaspectsoftheproject,includingtheplanning,fieldwork,andprovidingCommunityResearchAssistantstoconductthesurveys.TheintegralinvolvementofFirstNationsintheBiomonitoringInitiativehasmeantthatFirstNations’questionsandconcernsarebeingaddressedinascientificallyvalidprocess.FirstNationcommunitieswillbeabletousethefindingsofthisreporttomonitorchangestotheirenvironmentandthebaselinedatacanbeusedtomoni-torchangesinexposureasaresultofindustrialdevelopmentandnewprojects.
IwouldliketothanktheFNBIresearchteamandallFirstNationsandindividualswhoparticipatedintheFirstNationsBiomonitoringInitiative.TheAFNwaspleasedtoconductthisstudyandwelookforwardtoHealthCanada’scontin-uedcommitmenttoaddressingFirstNations’environmentalandhealthconcernsbysupportingresearchprojectsthatareconductedinfullpartnershipwithFirstNations.TheFirstNationsBiomonitoringInitiativeprovidesbenefitsforallandIhopethateveryonetakesadvantageofthemanyopportunitiesprovidedbythisreport.
by national chief shawn a-in-chut atleo
f o r e w o r d
11first nations biomonitoring initiative
1.1 research team
1.1.1 assembly of First nationsStuart Wuttke,B.A.,LL.B.,LL.M.PrincipalInvestigatorMr.StuartWuttkeispresentlyGeneralCounselfortheAssemblyofFirstNations.Mr.Wuttkeoverseesalllegalmattersandcom-plianceissuesfortheAssemblyofFirstNations,anditsrelatedsubsidiaries.HewascalledtotheBarin1996.Priortothisrole,Mr.WuttkeservedastheDirectorofEnvironmentalStewardshipattheAssemblyofFirstNationsfrom2006to2010.Duringthisperiod,Mr.WuttkehasworkedonanumberofenvironmentalresearchprojectswithFirstNationcommunitiesrelatingtocontaminantsandenvironmentalimpacts.Hisworkintheen-vironmentalfieldextendedtobothdomesticandinternationaldialoguesinavarietyofsubjects.Mr.Wuttkewasinstrumentalintheestablishmentofa10yearFirstNationstraditionalfoodandcontaminantsstudyandthedevelopmentoftheFirstNationsBiomonitoringInitiativefortheAssemblyofFirstNations.
Elsa La Corte,BEng,MEngPolicyAnalystAskilledenvironmentalprofessionalwithaMaster’sdegreeinEnvironmentalEngineeringandaBachelor’sdegreeinChemicalEngineering.Herprofessionalexperienceincludesthefoodmanufacturingindustrydevelopingnewformulationprotocolsandqualitysamplingandcontrol;inthebeveragemanufactur-ingindustryasaprocessanalystandtechnical/trainingwriter.InhercurrentpositionasaPolicyAnalystattheAssemblyofFirstNationsshehasworkedundertheenvironmentalhealthfile,responsiblefortheFirstNationsBiomonitoringInitiative(FNBI),supportingtheNationalFirstNationsEnvironmentalContaminantsProgram(NFNECP),amongothers,andhasrecentlyjoinedtheAFN’swatermanagementunit.
Diego Garcia,M.D.,M.P.H.PublicHealthAdvisorAmedicalprofessionaltrainedinEmergencyMedicineandPublicHealth.HispreviouspositionsincludecoordinatingandimprovingpublichealthprogramsdeliveryacrossruraljurisdictionsinVenezuela;diseasesurveillanceandimmuniza-tionsofficerfortheWorldHealthOrganizationinAngola;and,currentlyworkingasthePublicHealthAdvisorandEnvironmentalHealthleadfortheAssemblyofFirstNationsinOttawa.ThroughouthiscareerDr.Garciahasgainedadeep
understandingoftheissuesandchallengesinvolvedinhealthservicedeliverytoremoteandindigenouspopulations.
Jarrett LaughlinSeniorResearchAnalystMr.LaughlinworksasaSeniorResearchAnalystattheAssemblyofFirstNations.Hehasco-chairedthenationalworkinggroupfortheBandOperatedFundingFormulaandhasworkedwithseveralorganizationstodevelopFirstNationseducationfundingmodels.Mr.LaughlinhasrecentlyworkedfortheCanadianCouncilonLearningidentifyinginnovativeandholisticapproachestomeasuringsuccessforFirstNations,Inuit,andMétislearning.
1.1.2 health canada / technical advice
Maria OoiHead,BiomonitoringProgram,FirstNations&InuitHealthBranch,HealthCanadaMs.Ooiisanenvironmentalhealthspecialist,withover17yearsofexperienceinthisfield.Inhercurrentposition,sheisinvolvedinenvironmentalhealthsurveillanceandmonitoringprograms,focusingonenvironmentalcontaminantsandtheirimpactstohumanhealth.Aswell,Ms.Ooihasbeenengagedincommunity-basedmonitoringandresearchwithFirstNations.Priortothisposition,shehasworkedasanenvironmentalhealthadvisorforover10yearswithHealthCanadawheresheacquiredin-depthknowledgeofenvironmentalassess-mentsandthehealthimpactsassociatedwithdevelopmentprojects.Whilelivingabroad,Ms.OoiworkedforHabitatforHumanity,toimproveenvironmentally/energyefficienthomesandspearheadthemovetoestablishanaffiliates’network.
Bill Martin,BScEnvironmentalHealthScientist,HealthCanadaMr.Martinisanenvironmentalscientistwithexpertiseinenvi-ronmentalcontaminantsandexposureassessment.InhisformercapacityasanenvironmentalchemistwithEnvironmentCanadaandasaresearchtechnicianwiththeDepartmentofFisheriesandOceans,hehasexperienceinlaboratoryandfieldwork,analysingenvironmentalsamplesincontaminantmonitoring,andconductingtoxicologicalexposureassessments.Mr.Martinalsohasworkedonsafetyassessmentsforchemicalcontaminationofimportedfoods,andenvironmentaleffectsmonitoringpolicy.Hehasrecentlyacceptedanewchallenge,andcontinuestosupporttheFNBIwhilemanagingaPublicHealthprogramforHealthCanada’sFirstNationsandInuitHealthBranch.
c h a p t e r o n eresearch team
12 national results
1.2 acknowledgements
TheAssemblyofFirstNationswouldliketoexpressitsdeep-estappreciationtotheFirstNationcommunitiesthatpartici-patedinthesurveyandacknowledgethatthissurveywouldnothavebeenpossiblewithouttheirgeneroussupportandcommitment.TheAssemblyofFirstNationswouldalsoliketoofferitsspecialthankyoutoalltheFirstNationindividualswhoparticipatedinthissurvey.Theirvaluablecontributionsarereflectedthroughoutthisreport
Inaddition,theAssemblyofFirstNationswouldliketothankthefollowingorganizationswhohaveprovidedourresearchteamwithvaluabletechnicalsupportandadvice:
InstitutnationaldesantépubliqueduQuébec(INSPQ)-CentredetoxicologieduQuébec(CTQ)
• AlainLeBlanc
• MarioMarchand
• ClaudeThellen
SocialSurveyMethods,StatisticsCanada
• ValérieBizier
• CraigSeko
EnvironmentalPublicHealthDivision,FirstNationsandInuitHealthBranch,HealthCanada
• RoyKwiatkowski
• DianeMcClymontPeace
• Dr.ConstantineTikhonov
• Regionalstaff
HealthyEnvironmentsandConsumerSafetyBranch,HealthCanada
• DougHaines
• EllenLye
• LeonoraMarro
• NellieRoest
• Allindividualchemicalspecialists
TheAssemblyofFirstNationsappreciatesthegenerousfinan-cialsupportoftheFirstNationsandInuitHealthBranch,whoprovidedfundingforthisstudy.
Finally,theAssemblyofFirstNationswouldliketoextenditsap-preciationtothepeerreviewersforvolunteeringtheirtimeandgenerouslysharingtheirscientificknowledgeandexpertise.
13first nations biomonitoring initiative
TheFirstNationsBiomonitoringInitiative(FNBI)seekstoestablishbaselineinformationonhumanexposuretoenviron-mentalchemicalsforFirstNations’peopleon-reservesouthofthe60°parallel.FirstNationshavebeenconcernedabouttheimpactsofenvironmentalpollutionandtheuseofindustrialandhouseholdchemicalsonthehumanpopulation.However,verylittleisknownabouttheeffectsofalargenumberofenvironmentalchemicals,orwhatthecombinationsofthesechemicals,mighthaveonthehumanbody.Inaddition,thereislittleinformationaboutthesechemicalsandtheirconcentra-tionsthatmaybepresentinFirstNationpopulations.TheFNBIattemptstofillthisgapinknowledge.
FirstNationscontinuetorelyonthelandandtheenvironmentforcultural,spiritualandnutritionalpurposes.ThisattachmentispresumedtoincreaseFirstNations'exposuretoenviron-mentalchemicalsandthehealthrisksthesechemicalsmayimposeonindividuals.Untilnow,verylittleornonationallyrepresentativeinformationexistsonFirstNationsexposuretoenvironmentalchemicals,makingthisInitiativethefirststudyofitskindinCanada.ThisstudyisalsothefirstbiomonitoringinvestigationunderthecompletecontrolandauthorityofFirstNations,demonstratingthelevelofcommitmentandrespon-sibilitythattheFirstNationleadershipcanundertaketowardtheprogressandwell-beingoftheirpeoples.
TheFNBIinvolvedatotaloffifteenFirstNationcommunitiesacrossCanada.Twoofthesecommunitieswereinvolvedasapilotstudy.TheremainingthirteenFirstNationcommunitieswereselectedthrougharandomdraw.Fortytwoparticipantspercommunitywereselectedforparticipationinthesurveyduringthesummer/fall2011.Theparticipantscompletedaphysicalexaminationwithanthropometricandclinicalinforma-tioncollection;ahouseholdquestionnairetoassessrisk,expo-sureandutilizationofthechemicalsinthestudy;andprovidedabiologicalspecimenofbloodandurine.Thebiologicalspeci-mensweresubsequentlyanalyzedbyacertifiedlaboratory.Datawascollected,aggregatedandanalyzedinspring2012andresultscontainedinthisreport.
Thisstudywasguidedby Tri-Council Policy Statement - Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans,fromHealthCanadaandthePublicHealthAgencyofCanada'sResearchEthicsBoard.TheFNBIwillprovideimportanthealthinformation
toadvancehealthsurveillanceandresearchinCanada,whileprovidingtrainingopportunitiestoFirstNations’peopletoenhanceresearchcapacity.TheFNBIestablishesbaselinedataforfutureusebypublichealthdecision-makersandscientiststohelpFirstNationsfocusonspecifichealth-relatedissues.
2.1 results
DatawerecollectedfromthirteenrandomlyselectedFirstNationcommunitiesinCanada.Ineachcommunity,upto42people,20yearsofageorabovewereselected.Womenwhowerepregnantandthoseindividualsundergoingchemo-therapywereexcludedfromthestudy.Intotal,therewere503FirstNationindividualswhoparticipatedinthestudy.Theoverallparticipationratewas92%.Resultsproducedbythestudywerereturnedtoparticipantsafteranalysis,unlesstheyhadexpressedadesirenottoreceivethemduringsampling.Aswell,earlynotificationtoparticipantswasdoneincaseswhereparticipants'resultsexceededtheCanadianbloodleadinterventionlevelof10microgramsperdeciliter(μg/dL)(setbytheCommiteeforEnvironmentalandOccupationalHealth(CEOH)in1994)orthebloodmercuryguidancevalueof20μg/Lforadults(HealthCanada,2004).Cadmiumwasalsoreportedtoparticipantsiftheyexceededtheoccupationalguidelineforbloodcadmiumof5μg/L(INSPQ,2008).
The97environmentalchemicalsexaminedundertheFNBIwereselectedfromacandidatelistofover200individualchemicalsand/orgroups.Thosethatwereselectedwerebasedonconsid-erationssuchassuspectedhealthrisks,levelofpublicconcernandcomparabilitywithotherstudies.TheFNBIexaminedthefollowing:tracemetals,polychlorinatedbiphenyls,polybromi-nateddiphenylethers,organochlorinepesticides,perfluorinatedcompounds,environmentalphenol,phthalates,pesticides,andcotinine(ametaboliteofnicotine).TheFNBIwasadministeredusingreliablemethodologies.Appropriatelipidorcreatinineadjustmentsforsamplelevelshavebeenmade.
TheresultsoftheFNBIarepresentedatanationalaggregatelevelandecozonelevels.Therewerefiveecozones,whereaminimumoftwocommunitieshadtobesampledineachstratumtoallowforvarianceestimation.Ecozoneswereutilizedonthepremisethatcertaincontaminantscouldbe
executive summary c h a p t e r t w o
14 national results
morepronouncedincertaingeographicalareasacrossCanada.Finally,theresultsoftheFNBIarestatisticallycomparedtotheCanadianHealthMeasuresSurvey(CHMS),ahealthsurveyofthegeneralCanadianpopulation.ComparisonswithCHMSresults,however,oughttobeinterpretedwithcautionasitstargeturbanpopulationslightlydiffersfromtheFirstNationpopulation,sinceFirstNationcommunitiesaremostlylocatedinisolatedorruralareas.
InthevastmajorityofFNBIresults,therearenosignificantdifferencesbetweenthebloodorurinelevelsoftracemetalsandotherchemicalsbetweentheFNBIandCHMSpopula-tions.Thereareafewexceptions,however.CotininelevelsaresignificantlyhigherinFirstNationparticipantsthanthoseshowninCHMS,whichislikelytheresultofahigherpercent-ageofsmokersandsecondhandsmokeexposureinFirstNations.ThequestionnairesrevealthattherateofFirstNationsmokersis65%,almostfourtimeshigherthantheCanadianpopulation.ThisisalsothelikelycontributortothefindingofsignificantlyhighercadmiuminFirstNations,althoughthiswasnotspecificallyexplored.
AnumberofchemicalswerefoundtobelowerintheFirstNationpopulation.Forinstance,bloodleadconcentrationswerestatisticallylowercomparedtolevelsofthegeneralCanadianpopulation.Severalorganiccompoundssuchastrans-nonachlor,beta-hexachlorocyclohexane(b-HCH),anddimethylphosphate(DMP)areallstatisticallylowerintheFirstNationpopulation,ascomparedtotheCHMSpopulation.
Theresultsformercuryposecertainambiguitiesthatwillre-quirefurtherinvestigation.Totalmercurybloodconcentrationsgavealargerangeofresults,wherethecoefficientofvariationwashigh.Thus,directstatisticalcomparisonwiththeCanadianpopulationwasnotpossible.However,astatisticalcomparisonperformedonacommunitybasiswaspossibleinsixofthe
thirteenFirstNationcommunities.Inthiscase,thesixFirstNationcommunitieshadstatisticallyhigherlevelsthantheCanadianpopulation.Oneinterestingfindingwaswithrespecttoinorganicmercuryfoundintheurinarysamples.StatisticalcomparisonsbetweenFNBIandCHMSsampleswerenotpossibleduetothefactthatmeanswerenotcalculatedfortheCHMSsamplesinceover40%ofthesamplewasbelowthelimitofdetection(LOD).TheFNBIestimateswerecalculatedbecauselessthan40%wasbelowtheLOD.ThisfindingledtheauthorstobelievethattheremaybeagreaterexposuretoinorganicmercuryintheFNBIpopulationthantheCHMSpopulation,butitrequiresfurtherinvestigation.
Anotherinterestingfindingrelatestothedifferenceinthenationaldataascomparedtotheecozonedata.Inthenationalleveldata,arseniclevelsweresignificantlylowerintheFNBIsample.However,whenobservingthearsenicbloodlevelsattheecozonelevelbyagedistribution,thePacificregiontotaland20-39yeargroupshavesignificantlyhigherlevelsthanthoseofthesameCHMSgroups.Thesamecanbeobservedintheecozonedatabygenderforurinaryarsenic(creatinineadjusted)forthe20-39agegroup.Thiswouldbeausefulareaforfurtherstudy.
TheFNBIhasbeenavaluabletoolinaddressingthegapsinknowledgeaboutthelevelsofenvironmentalchemicalsintheFirstNationpopulation.Itshouldbenotedthatthisisthefirststudyofthistypetobedoneonarepresentativecross-countryscale.Thedatacollectedwillserveasabenchmarkforfuturestudiestodetermineifchangesintheenvironmentareresultinginanincreaseordecreaseinconcentrationsofchemicalsofconcerns.TheFNBIprovidesausefulbaselineforsubsequentlongitudinalstudiesaswellasforthestudyofspecifichotspotsorareasofconcern.
15first nations biomonitoring initiative
c h a p t e r t h r e eintroduction to biomonitoring
Everyday,peopleareexposedtothousandsofchemicals-throughtheair,food,drinkingwater,andthingsthatcomeintocontactwithourskin.ItiswidelyassumedthatFirstNationpeoples’livinginremoteareasareatahigherriskofexposurethanthegeneralpopulationbecauseoftheirclosertiestotheland.Forexample,whilerelianceontraditionalfoodssuchasfish,marineanimalsandwildgamehascultural,spiritual,andnutritionalsignificance,thesefoodsourcesalsotendtohavehigherconcentrationsofmercuryandpersistentorganicpol-lutants(POPs).Thesechemicalsbuildupinthefattytissuesoffish,marinemammalsandotherfoodsourcesthroughtheprocessofbioaccumulationwhichcanthenbioaccumulateinpeopleconsumingit.
Biomonitoringhasbecomeanessentialtoolineffortstoidentifyandcontrolpeoples’exposuretoenvironmentalchemicals.Humanbiomonitoringisthemeasurementinpeople,ofachemical,theproductsitmakesafterithasbrokendown,ortheproductsthatmightresultfrominteractionsinthebody.Thesemeasurementsareusuallymadeinbloodandurineandsome-timesinothertissuesandfluidssuchashair,nails,andbreastmilk.Themeasurementstakenindicatehowmuchofachemicaloritselementsarepresentinthatpersonatagiventime.
National-levelbiomonitoringinitiativesincludetheEuropeanUnion-wideCOPHES(ConsortiumtoPerformHuman
BiomonitoringonaEuropeanScale)-currentlyinadem-onstrationphasecalledDEMOCOPHES,theUnitedStatesCenterforDiseaseControlNHANES(NationalHealthandNutritionExaminationStudy),andtheAustralianBureauofStatistics’NHS(NationalHealthSurvey).Canadahasjoinedtheranksofnationalbiomonitoringinitiativeswiththeongo-ingCanadianHealthMeasuresSurvey(CHMS).theranksofnationalbiomonitoringinitiativeswiththeongoingCanadianHealthMeasuresSurvey(CHMS).WhiletheCHMSisintendedtorepresenttheCanadianpopulation,itdoesnotincludeFirstNationpeopleslivingonreserve.
Assuch,thereisnorepresentativebaselineinformationontheextentofhumanexposure/bodyburdenofFirstNationpeoples’onreserveinregardtopersistentorganicpollutantsandheavymetals.ToaddressthisissueandtocomplementtheCHMS,theFNBIwasestablished.
TheFNBIreliesondatacollectedfromsamplesofadultmemberslivinginFirstNation(FN)communities.Allsamples–communities,householdsandindividuals–wereselectedusingrandommechanisms.Estimatingstatistics(e.g.,means,ratios,totals,percentiles)fromprobabilitysamplesrequiressomelevelofcareiftheestimatesaretoremainrepresentative(un-biased)ofthepopulationfromwhichthedatawerecollected.Moreover,sample-basedstatisticswillbepublishedalongwithanestimateoftheirsamplingerror.
16 national resultsnational results
background and rationale
c h a p t e r f o u r
Environmentalhealtheffortsbygovernments,researchers,andthoseinthehealthfieldhavebeensparkedbytheneedtoidentify,understandandwheneverpossible,reducepeo-ple’sexposuretopotentiallyharmfulenvironmentalchemicals.Biomonitoringisatoolthathasbecomecentraltotheseefforts.
TheCHMSisanationalsurveythatisbeingledbyStatisticsCanadainpartnershipwithHealthCanadaandthePublicHealthAgencyofCanadathatthemostcomprehensive,directhealthmeasuressurveyconductedinCanada.IthasbeendesignedtorepresenttheCanadianpopulationandcollectsinformationonthegeneralhealthandlifestyleofCanadiansthroughinterviewsanddirectphysicalmeasurements(i.e.weightandheight),toprovideinformationonchronicandinfectiousdiseases,physicalfitness,nutrition,andotherfactorsthatinfluencehealth1.TheCHMSalsoincludesabiomonitoringcomponent,wherebloodandurinesamplesarecollectedtoprovideinformationonexpo-suretoenvironmentalchemicals.
WhiletheCHMSisintendedtorepresenttheCanadianpopulation,itdoesnotincludeFirstNationpeopleslivingonreserves.Assuch,thereisnorepresentativebaselineinforma-tionontheextentofhumanexposure/bodyburdenofFirstNationpeoplesonreserveinregardtochemicals(includingpersistentorganicpollutants,tracemetals,etc.).
TheFNBIseekstoaddressthisinformationgap.TheAssemblyofFirstNations(AFN),inpartnershipwithHealthCanada(throughtheFirstNations&InuitHealthBranch-FNIHB),carriedoutahumanbiomonitoringprogramwhichincludedahouseholdquestionnaire,directphysicalmeasure-ments(i.e.heightandweight),andthecollectionofbloodandurinesamplestoprovidebaselineinformationofFirstNationpeoples’exposurelevelstoenvironmentalchemicals.Thisini-tiativewasimplementedthroughleadershipandpartnershipwithFirstNationsauthoritiesandwasadaptedforculturalappropriatenessandsafetythroughconsultationswiththeFirstNationcommunities.
TheFNBIisa5-year(2008-2013)nationalhealthsurvey,exclusivelyforFirstNationpeoples’livingonreserve,southof60o.TheAFNcarriedoutthisInitiativeandFNIHBservedasfunderandtechnicaladvisor.
TheFNBI’smainobjectiveistoestablishanationalbaselineofFirstNations’exposureto97environmentalchemicals(persistentorganicpollutants,tracemetals,andahostofotherchemicals).OtherobjectivesoftheFNBIareto:
• Allowindividuals,theirfamiliesandFirstNationcommunitiestobecomemoreawareofandtakestepstominimizetheirexposuretoenvironmentalchemicals;
• AllowforcomparisonbetweenFirstNations’exposuretoenvironmentalchemicalsandthoseoftheCanadianpopulation,whicharebeingmeasuredundertheCHMS;
• Overtime,tracktrendsofexposurelevelsinFirstNationspopulations,identifyprioritychemicals,andguidefurtheractionbyindividuals,communitiesandgovernment(s);
• Collectinformationthatcannototherwisebegatheredfromquestionnairesalone;
• Exploreemergingenvironmentalpublichealthissuesandnewmeasurementtechnologies.
1.HealthCanada,“ReportonHumanBiomonitoringofEnvironmentalChemicalsinCanada.ResultsoftheCanadianHealthMeasuresSurveyCycle1(2007-2009),2010.(CHMSReport)Retrievedfromwww.healthcanada.gc.ca
17first nations biomonitoring initiative
4.1 First nation ownership of data:
TheFirstNationsBiomonitoringInitiative(FNBI)wasdesignedtoberespectfultotheFirstNationsprinciplesofOwnership,Control,AccessandPossession(OCAP)2:
Ownershipwherebycommunitiesowninformationcollectively,thesamewayasanindividualownstheirpersonalinformation;Controlofallaspectsofresearchandinformationmanagement,thatimpactFirstNations,fromconceptiontocompletion;AccesstoFirstNationsinformationanddata,regardlessofwhereitisstored;and,Possessionofthedatasothatownershipcanbeprotected.Ifdataisownedbyapartybutisinpossessionofanother,thereisriskofbreach;
ThisapproachensuresthatFirstNationcommunities,whoaretheparticipants,makethedecisionsabouttheprocess,thedatacollectionandanalysis,anddecision-making.
TheAFNactsascustodianfortheresultingbiomonitoringdata,whiletheFirstNationcommunitiesthatparticipatedinthestudywouldowntheirowndataandcontrolthefutureuse,disseminationortransferofdata.ThebenefitsofOCAParemultiple;someofthemareexplainedasfollows:
• Helpsrebuildcommunitytrustinresearch;
• Higherparticipationrates;
• Encouragesmoreholistic(FN)approachtohealth;
• PromotesFirstNationsanalysesandperspectivesthatminimizesbiasesandmisinterpretations;and
• Contributestocommunityempowerment,self-determination,andhealingactivitiesandencouragesmeaningfulcapacitydevelopment.
2.FirstNationsInformationGovernanceCentre(2010).The First Nations Principles of OCAP: What is OCAP?Retrievedfromhttp://www.fnigc.ca/node/2.
18 national resultsnational results
survey designc h a p t e r f i v e
5.1 Pilot study
ApilotstudywascarriedouttodeterminethefeasibilityofimplementingthefullscaleFNBIhealthsurveyandrevealanychallengesinthesampledesign.ThepilotstudyallowedtheFNBIteamtotestlogisticsandgatherinformationoninterac-tionswithFirstNationcommunitiesandparticipants.Thepilotstudywascarriedoutwiththeaimofmodifyingareasofcon-cern,asanyrevealeddeficienciesinthedesignorprocedurescouldbecorrectedbeforetimeandresourceswereexpendedforthefullsurvey.Thepilotstudyledtomanyobservationsandlessonslearned,particularlyintheareasof:logisticsandoperationalprocedures;amountoftimetoconductallaspectsofthesurvey;gaugingFirstNationinterestandparticipation;appropriatenessofthecommunicationsplantoparticipantsandthecommunity;andhumanandfinancialresources.FurtherdetailsonthepilotstudycanbefoundinAppendix1.
5.2 target Population and selection criteria
Forthepurposeofthisstudy,participantswererandomlyselectedamongtheFNBItargetpopulationwhichincludespeoplelivingonreserveaged20yearsorolder.Participantswereretainedforthestudyonlyiftheywereabletoprovidewritteninformedconsent.However,participantswereex-cludediftheywerepregnantoriftheyhadrecentlyundergonechemotherapy,astherewouldnothavebeenenoughoftheseparticipantstodetermineiftheirexposuresweresignificantlydifferentthantherestofthecommunity.
5.3 methodology
TheFNBIfollowedanecozoneapproachsincethesegeograph-icareaswereestablishedaccordingtoecosystemboundarieswithsimilarvegetationandwildlife,whichconformstotradi-tionalFirstNationslanduse.Aminimumof2communitiesperecozonewerechosenbyrandomselectionand,similarly,42participantswererandomlyselectedwithineachcommunity.RefertoAppendix2fortheecozones&sampleallocationandAppendix10&11forFNBImethodology.
5.4 limitations
Aswithotherbiomonitoringstudies,theFNBIencounteredanumberoflimitations.Tobegin,thenumberofcommunitymemberscontainedinFirstNationbandlistswasnotretainedtobeusedintheanalysisduetoprivacyconcernsandattherequestofFirstNationgovernments.Itssignificanceisex-plainedinthesurveydesignsection.
ThelimitedbudgetofthestudyalsoposedsomelimitationsfortheInitiative,whichmeantthatthesamplesizeinboththenumberofcommunitiesandthenumberofparticipantsineachhadtobereduced.Thisresourcelimitationisalsothereasonwhythestudyexcludedpersons19yearsofageandunder,aswellaspregnantwomen.Ontheanalysisside,thesmallsampletranslatedtotheimpossibilityofprovidingananalysisusingbothgenderandagegroups;thus,thedecisionwasmadetoprovidetheresultsbygenderonly.Secondly,theanalysisresolutionpowerwaslimitedtoonlyprovidingana-tionallevelviewandcommunitylevelunderstanding,withoutecozonelevelanalysis.Andfinally,giventhehighcoefficientofvariationintheresults,theFNBIreportisbasedonthegeometricmean(G.M)andnotthe95thpercentile.
5.5 Fieldwork and laboratory analysis
FieldworktookplaceintheselectedFirstNationcom-munities,andincludedthefollowingcomponents:physicalmeasurements,ahouseholdquestionnaire,andbiospecimencollection.CommunityResearchAssistants(CRAs)wereresponsibleforadministeringthehouseholdquestionnairetoparticipants,whichcouldbecompletedattheparticipant’shomeoratthehealthfacilityandintheirownlanguage.PhysicalmeasurementsandbiospecimensamplecollectionwereperformedbyaRegisteredNurse.Measurementsandsamplecollectionweretakenatthehealthfacilityonreserveaccordingtostandardhealthcareprotocols.Theparticipantwasaskedaseriesofscreeningquestionspriortothestartoftheclinicprocesstoensurethatheorshewaseligibleforthetests,sincesomemedicationsandphysicalconditionsmayexcludeapersonfromthestudy.Physicalmeasurementsin-cludedheight,weight,skinfold,circumferences,restingheartrateandbloodpressure(Appendix4).Thenursecollected
19first nations biomonitoring initiative
20milliliters(mL)ofbloodandaminimumof20mLofurinefromparticipants(Appendix5).Theprojectcoordinatorwasresponsiblefortemporarilystoringthesamplesinfreezersat-20oC,andshippedthesetotheaccreditedlaboratory.ShipmentswerepackagedaccordingtotheInternationalAirTransportAssociation(IATA)andTransportofDangerousGoods(TDG)Regulations.
Laboratoryanalysisof97environmentalchemicalsandcreati-ninewasperformedattheCentredetoxicologyduQuébec(CTQ)ofL’InstitutnationaldesantépubliqueduQuébec(INSPQ),QuébecCity.AnalyseswereconductedaccordingtoacceptedmethodsandatthesameCanadianAssociationforLaboratoryAccredited(CALA)certifiedlaboratoryusedintheCHMSstudytoensuremaximumcomparabilityofresults.TheINSPQisaccreditedunderISO1725andfollowedstandard-izedoperatingprocedures.
DescriptionsoftheanalyticalmethodsusedintheFNBIhavebeenpreviouslypublishedbytheCanadianHealthMeasuresSurvey(HealthCanada,20103).
5.6 data collection
Uponsigningtheconsentform,whichincludedthepar-ticipant’snameandcontactinformationforthepurposeofcommunicatingresultsofanalysis,participantswereassignedanumberandassociatedbarcode.Allotherdocumentationwaslabeledwiththebarcodeonly,ratherthantheparticipants’nameorotheridentifyinginformation,toensureprotectionoftheparticipants’privacy.
Thestepsthataparticipantwasaskedtocompleteincluded:signingtheconsentform(refertoAppendix8);complet-ingthequestionnaire(administeredbytheCRA)(refertoAppendix3);submittingtoasuiteofphysicalmeasurements(i.e.height,weight,bloodpressure,bodymassindex(BMI),skinfold,waist-to-hipratio);andprovidingbiospecimensam-ples(bloodandurine)forchemicalanalysis.Physicalmeasure-mentsandbiospecimensamplecollectionwereperformedbetweenJulyandOctober,2011byacontractedRegisteredNursefromanagency.
CommunityResearchAssistants(CRAs)wereneededtoassistinconductingthequestionnaires.ThedecisiontohirelocalpeopleasCRAsservedseveralpurposes;havingalocal,familiarfaceconducttheinterviewsandserveasinterpreters/transla-torsasneeded;initiatecontactwiththerandomlyselectedparticipants;scheduleappointments;organizethecommunityandfacilitiesforthearrivalofthefieldteam;contributetothe
capacitybuildingatthelocallevel;and,providetemporarylocalemployment.Thosewithpriorresearchstudyexperienceandappropriateeducation,weresought,inconsultationwiththeCommunityHealthDirectors,andhiredforthedurationofFNBIsampling-normallyoneweek.
5.7 reporting results to Participants:
Thedecisionwasmadethatparticipantsshouldhavetherighttotheirownpersonalresults.Assuch,allresultswerere-turnedtoparticipantsafteranalysis,unlesstheyhadexpressedthedesirenottoreceivethemduringsampling.Aswell,earlynotificationwasdoneincaseswhereaparticipant’sresultsexceededtheCanadianbloodleadinterventionlevelof10μg/dL(setbytheCEOHin1994)orthe1994HealthCanadabloodmercuryguidanceforadultsof20μg/L(sincetheyaretheonlyacceptedguidelinelevelsinblood,todate).Cadmiumwasalsoreportedtoparticipantsiftheyexceededtheoccu-pationalguidelineforbloodcadmiumof5μg/L(INSPQ,2008).Oncephysicalmeasurementsweretaken(e.g.bloodpressure,heartrate,bodymeasurements),participantswereimmediatelyprovidedwiththeirwrittenresultsfromthenurse.
Inadditiontoprovidingeachindividualparticipantwiththeirresults,theAFNprovidedcommunityreportstoeachpar-ticipatingFirstNationandincludedtheircompletedataset.Whererequested,theFNBIteamreturnedtotheparticipatingFirstNationcommunitytomakeaformalpresentationoftheresultsfromtheStudytotheleadership,healthofficialsandcommunityatlarge.TheAFNalsoprovidedsubsequentreportsoverteleconferencestocommunityofficials.Theparticipat-ingFirstNationcommunitiesexpressedsinceregratitudeforAFN'seffortstoreportfindingsbacktothecommunity.
5.8 considerations for interpreting the biomonitoring data4:
ComparisonswithCHMSresultsshouldbeinterpretedwithcautionasitstargetpopulationslightlydiffersfromtheFNBItargetpopulation.CHMSwasconductedinageographicareawithapopulationofatleast10,000andamaximumrespond-enttraveldistanceof100kilometers.ThisdiffersfromtheFirstNationrealitywherecommunitiesvaryinsizeandpopulationandaremostlylocatedinisolatedorruralareas.
TheFNBIwasdesignedtoprovideestimatesofenvironmentalchemicalconcentrationsinbloodorurinefortheadultFirstNationpopulationasawhole.Thesurveywasnotdesigned
3.HealthCanada(2010).ReportonHumanBiomonitoringofEnvironmentalChemicalsinCanada.ResultsoftheCanadianHealthMeasuresSurveyCycle1(2007-2009).(CHMSReport)Retrievedfromwww.healthcanada.gc.ca
4.TakenfromHealthCanada(2010).ReportonHumanBiomonitoringofEnvironmentalChemicalsinCanada.ResultsoftheCanadianHealthMeasuresSurveyCycle1(2007-2009).(CHMSReport)Retrievedfromwww.healthcanada.gc.ca
20 national results
tocovertheentirepopulation,norwasitdesignedtopermitfurtherbreakdownofdatabycommunity.Inaddition,theFNBIdesigndidnottargetspecificexposurescenariosandconsequently,didnotselectorexcludeeithercommunitiesorrespondentsonthebasisoftheirpotentialforloworhighexposurestoenvironmentalchemicals.
Biomonitoringcanestimatehowmuchofachemicalispresentinaperson,butcannottellyouwhathealtheffects,ifany,mayresultfromthatexposure.Technologyinthemeasurementofchemicalsatverylowlevelshasadvancedeventhoughthepresenceofachemicalinaperson’sbodydoesnotnecessarilymeanthatitwillcauseahealtheffect.Severalfactorssuchastheamount,theduration,frequencyandtimingofexposureandthetoxicityofthechemicalareimportantinordertodeterminewhetheradversehealtheffectsmayoccur.Forchemicalssuchasleadormercury,researchstudieshaveprovideduswithagoodunderstandingofwhathealthrisksareassociatedwithdifferentlevelsinblood.However,formanychemicals,furtherresearchisneededtounderstandthehealtheffects,ifany,fromdiffer-entbloodorurineconcentrations.Furthermore,smalldosesofcertainchemicalsareessentialforthemaintenanceofgoodhealth(e.g.manganeseandzinc)sosmallamountswouldbeexpectedtobepresentinthebody.Inaddition,chemicalswillinteractdifferentlydependingontheindividual.Certainpopula-tions(children,pregnantwomen,andtheelderlyorimmuno-compromisedpeople)maybemoresusceptibletotheeffectsofchemicalexposure.
Theabsenceofachemicaldoesnotnecessarilymeanapersonhasnotbeenexposed.Itmaybethatthetechnologyisnotca-pableofmeasuringsuchasmallamount,orthattheexposureoccurredatanearlierpointintime,allowingforthechemicaltobeeliminatedfromtheperson’sbodybeforemeasurementtookplace.Biomonitoringcannottellusthesourceorrouteoftheexposurebutitindicatesthetotalamountthatisinthebodyatagiventime,andaccountsforallroutesofexposure(ingestion,inhalation,skincontact)andfromallsources(air,water,soil,food,andconsumerproducts).
Manychemicals–lead,mercury,cadmium,andarsenicforexample–occurnaturallyintheenvironmentandarealsopresentinhuman-madeproducts.Withtheexceptionofmet-als,mostoftheurinemeasurementsinthissurveyquantifychemicalmetabolites.Formanychemicals,parentcompoundsmaybebrokendown(i.e.,metabolized)intooneormoremetabolites.Somemetabolitesarespecifictooneparentcompound,whileothersarecommontoseveralparentcom-pounds.Severalurinarymetabolitesarealsoenvironmentalmetabolites(e.g.,dialkylphosphatemetabolites)andtheir
presenceinurinedoesnotnecessarilymeanthatanexposuretotheparentchemicalhasoccurred;ratherexposurecouldbetothemetaboliteitselfinenvironmentalmediasuchasfood,water,orair.Factorsthatcontributetomeasuredbloodandurinelevelsincludethequantityenteringthebodythroughallroutesofexposure,absorptionrates,distributiontovarioustissuesinthebody,metabolism,andexcretionofthechemi-caland/oritsmetabolitesfromthebody.Theseprocessesaredependentonboththecharacteristicsofthechemical,includ-inglipophilicity,pH,andparticlesize,andthecharacteristicsoftheindividual,suchasage,diet,healthstatus,andrace5(Teassetal.,2003).Forthesereasons,thewayinwhichachemicalwillactinthebodywilldifferamongindividualsandcannotbepredictedwithcertainty.
Thisreportdoesnotexaminetrendsovertimeasthisisthefirstsurveyofits’kind,specifictoFirstNations.ResultsfromfuturecyclesofFNBI,orsimilarstudies,maybecomparedtothebaselinedatainordertoexaminetrendsinFirstNations’exposurestoselectedenvironmentalchemicals.
5.9 data analysis
DatatablesarepresentedforeachchemicalmeasuredundertheFNBI.Thesetablesinclude:samplesize(n),percentageofresultsthatfallbelowthelimitofdetection(%
21first nations biomonitoring initiative
kglipid).Inordertoreflecttheamountofthesechemicalsthatarestoredinbodyfat,theconcentrationsofthesechemicalsarereportedrelativetolipids(HealthCanada,2010)6.
Forchemicalsmeasuredinurine,concentrationsarepresentedasweightofchemicalpervolumeofurine(μgchemical/Lurine)andadjustedforurinarycreatinine(μgchemical/gcre-atinine).Urinarycreatinineisachemicalby-productgeneratedfrommusclemetabolismandisfrequentlyusedtoadjustforurineconcentration(ordilution)inspoturinesamplesbecauseitsproductionandexcretionarerelativelyconstantover24hoursduetohomeostaticcontrols.Ifthechemicalmeasuredbehavessimilarlytocreatinineinthekidney,itwillbefilteredatthesamerate.Thisexplainswhyexpressingthechemicalpergramofcreatininehelpscorrectfortheeffectofurinarydilutionaswellassomedifferencesinrenalfunctionandleanbodymass(RefertoHealthCanada’sReportonHumanBiomonitoringofEnvironmentalChemicalsinCanada7).
Foranalyticalpurposes,theG.Mistakenintoaccountasanin-dicationofthetruecenterofthedistributionofresults.Thesechemicalsarefoundinthehumanbodyinverysmallquanti-tiesproducingaskeweddistributionwithverysmallvalues(
22 national resultsnational results
c h a p t e r s i xethical considerations
Participationwasrandomforthisstudyandtheparticipantwasfreetowithdrawfromthestudyatanypointintimedur-ingtheprocess.Participantswereinformedoftheirrighttowithdrawbothverballyandinwriting.Priortoparticipating,volunteerswereprovidedwithfactsheets,andastep-by-steppamphletexplainingtheprocess.Iftheindividualwasinterest-edinparticipating,theysignedaconsentformtoconfirmtheirfreeandinformedparticipation.
EachparticipantwasassignedanumericIDnumber.Alllabora-toryanalysisanddatamanagementdonebyeitherthelabora-tory,HCandStatisticsCanadawereconductedusingtheIDs.Therefore,noresultscouldbetracedbacktoanyindividualparticipant.ThecommunityquestionnaireswerealsocollectedusingthenumericIDnumbers.Furthermore,alldatabelongstothecommunityandanyfurtheruseofitbeyondthedevel-opmentoftheindividualcommunityreportsandthenationalreport,wouldneedtobeaccessedandauthorizedbythecom-munitiesthemselves.
Thelaboratorythatconductedtheanalysisofblood/urinesignedaconfidentialitycontractwiththeAFNtoensurethatthesampleswouldbeproperlydestroyedafterbeingprocessedandthattheywouldnotbestoredforanyotherresearch(i.e.nobio-banking).
Allinformationregardingsampling,questionnaire,andconsentformsiskeptanonymouslyinadatabaseattheAFN,groupedbyregions,andaccessiblebytheAFN-FNBIteam.Datawillonlybemadeavailableifpresentedinawaythatdoesnotpermitindividualorcommunityidentification,unlessotherwiseagreedbytheparticipants’permission.
EthicsapprovalforallcomponentsoftheFNBIwasobtainedfromtheHealthCanada’sResearchEthicsBoard.Aswell,approvalfortheFNBIwasobtainedthroughanAssemblyofFirstNationsallchiefsresolution.EthicalconsiderationswerealsoaddressedthroughtheestablishmentofaFirstNations’PlanningandAdvisoryCommittee,developmentofindividualBandCouncilresolutionsandseparatecommunityresearchagreementswitheachinterestedcommunity,anddevelopmentofindividualconsentforms.
23first nations biomonitoring initiative
AnexpertworkshopwashostedbyHealthCanadain2003toprovidethebasisfortheCHMSCycle1chemicalselec-tion.Substanceswereselectedfromapreviouscandidatelistofover200individualchemicalcontaminantsorgroups.Thosethatwereselectedwerebasedonanumberofconsiderationsincluding:knownorsuspectedhealthrisks,levelofpubliccon-cern,evidenceofexposureintheCanadianpopulation,coststoperformthetest,andneworexistingrequirementsforpublichealthaction,etc.BasedonresultsfromquestionnairesthatweresenttoallFirstNationcommunitiesandtheadviceoftheFirstNationsPlanningandAdvisoryCommitteefortheFNBI,theCHMSCycle1suiteofchemicalswasselectedforinclusionintheFNBItoallowforcomparisonsbetweentheCanadianandFirstNationpopulations.Thesearelistedinthefollowingtable:
ChemicalGroup NumberofSubstances Matrix
TraceMetals (13)antimony,arsenic,cadmium,copper,lead,manganese,mer-cury,molybdenum,nickel,selenium,uranium,vanadium,zinc bloodandurine
Polychlorinatedbiphenyls(PCBs) 24substancesandaroclor1260 plasma
Polybrominateddiphenylethers(PBDEs) 10congeners plasma
Organochlorinepesticides 14substances plasma
Perfluorinatedcompounds(PFCs) 9substances plasma
Environmentalphenol(BPA) 1substance urine
Phthalates 11metabolites urine
PesticidesOrganophosphatemetabolites(6),
phenoxyherbicides(2),pyrethroidpesticides(5)urine
Tobacco(cotinine) 1metabolite urine
chemicals measuredc h a p t e r s e v e n
8.HealthCanada(2010).ReportonHumanBiomonitoringofEnvironmentalChemicalsinCanada.ResultsoftheCanadianHealthMeasuresSurveyCycle1(2007-2009).(CHMSReport)Retrievedfromwww.healthcanada.gc.ca
PleaserefertoAppendix6forthefulllistofchemicals.
Regardingperfluorinatedcompounds(PFCs)measuredinplasma,theFNBIsampled9PFCs,whileCHMSmeasured3,thuscomparisonswereonlymadewiththe3in-commonPFCs:PerfluorooctaneSulfonate(PFOS),PerfluorooctanoicAcid(PFOA),andPerfluorohexaneSulfonate(PFHxS).
InordertomaketheFNBIthemostcomparativepossibletoCHMS,themethodology,sampling,processingandlaboratory
analysistechniqueswerereplicated.Therefore,bloodandurineweretheonlybiologicalspecimenscollected,asdescribedinthesamplecollectionprocedure(Appendix5).
InformationaboutchemicalsinthisreporthasbeenadaptedfromHealthCanada’s(2010)“ReportonHumanBiomonitoringofEnvironmentalChemicalsinCanada.ResultsoftheCanadianHealthMeasuresSurveyCycle1(2007-2009)8.
24 national resultsnational results
8.1 antimony
Antimony(Sb)isanaturallyoccurringelementwhichisreleasedintotheenvironmentprimarilythroughindustrialprocessesbutcanalsobefoundintheenvironmentnaturallyduetonaturalweatheringofrocks,runofffromsoils,emissionsfromvolcaniceruptions,seaspray,andforestfires.Itisreleasedintotheairasstackdustfromindustrialsources,suchascoal-firedpowerplants,inorganicchemicalplants,andmetalsmelterswhileitmayentertheaquaticenvironmentbywayofeffluentsfrommin-ingandmanufacturingoperations,andthroughindustrialandmunicipalleachatedischarges(HealthCanada,1997).
Antimonyisusedinvarioussettings,mostfrequentlyintheproductionofsemi-conductors,infrareddetectors,anddiodes;itisusedasacomponentinalloysforbatteries,cablesheathing,plumbingsolder,ammunitionandfireworks,flameretardantandanti-frictionmaterials;andasanadditiveinpaintpigments,glass,andceramicproducts(HealthCanada,1997;NTP,2005;ATSDR,1992).
FoodingestionisthemainrouteofexposuretoCanadiansbuttheycanalsobeexposedtoantimonyfromwater,air,dust,ordirectdermalcontactwithconsumerproductscontainingantimony(EURAR,2008).Theamountofantimonypresentinthebodyisgenerallylowforthosenotexposedoccupationally.Antimonyismostcommonlymeasuredinbloodandurine,asitwasdonefortheFNBI,andthismeasurementisreflectiveofexposuretoantimonyandantimony-relatedcompounds(ATSDR,1992).Somestudieshaveestimatedaneliminationhalf-lifeofapproximately95hoursafteranoccupationalexpo-surehasoccurred,(Kentneretal.,1995).
8.1.1 FindingsAntimonywasmeasuredinurineoftheFNBIsampleandispresentedasμg/Lurineandμg/gcreatinine(Tables1.1–1.6).Urinaryantimonylevelscanprovidephysiciansandhealthofficialswithreferencerangesthatcanbeusedtodeterminewhetherpeoplehavebeenexposedtohigherlevelsofantimo-nythanarefoundinotherpopulations.Slightlyhighervaluesmaybeduetomethodologic,population,orexposurediffer-ences(CDC,2012).
MeasurablelevelsofurinaryantimonyfoundintheFNpopula-tionreflectrecentexposure.Findingameasurableamountofantimonydoesnotnecessarilymeanthatanadversehealtheffectwilloccur.
Levelsofurinaryantimonyreflectrecentexposure.Findingameasurableamountofantimonydoesnotnecessarilymeanthatanadversehealtheffectwilloccur.
UrinaryantimonylevelsobservedintheFNBIsampleweresimilar(i.e.notsignificantlydifferent)tolevelsobservedintheCHMSsample.
c h a p t e r e i g h tresults by chemical group metals and trace elements
25first nations biomonitoring initiative
table 1.1.
antimony - arithmetic and geometric means of urine concentrations (µg/l) for on-reserve and crown land population aged 20 years old and older, Fnbi 2011
Population Sex n %<LODA.M.95%CI
G.M.95%CI
10th95%CI
25th95%CI
50th95%CI
75th95%CI
90th95%CI
95th95%CI
ComparedtoCHMSG.M.
FNBITotal
Total 495 20.200.08E 0.05
26 national results
table 1.3
antimony - arithmetic and geometric means of urine concentrations (µg/l) for on-reserve and crown land population aged 20 years old and older, Fnbi 2011 – ecozone by age distributionFNBI
EcozoneAgegroup n
%<LOD
A.M.95%CI
G.M.95%CI
10th95%CI
25th95%CI
50th95%CI
75th95%CI
90th95%CI
95th95%CI
Total Total 495 20.20.08E 0.05
27first nations biomonitoring initiative
antimony - arithmetic and geometric means of urine concentrations (µg/l) for on-reserve and crown land population aged 20 years old and older, Fnbi 2011 – ecozone by age distributionFNBI
EcozoneAgegroup n
%<LOD
A.M.95%CI
G.M.95%CI
10th95%CI
25th95%CI
50th95%CI
75th95%CI
90th95%CI
95th95%CI
Pacific 60-99 21 19.00.06 0.04
28 national results
antimony (creatinine adjusted) - arithmetic and geometric means of urine concentrations (µg/g) for on-reserve and crown land population aged 20 years old and older, Fnbi 2011 –ecozone by age distributionFNBI
EcozoneAgegroup n
%<LOD
A.M.95%CI
G.M.95%CI
10th95%CI
25th95%CI
50th95%CI
75th95%CI
90th95%CI
95th95%CI
Boreal 40-59 62 30.60.07E 0.05E
29first nations biomonitoring initiative
table 1.5
antimony - arithmetic and geometric means of urine concentrations (µg/l) for on-reserve and crown land population aged 20 years old and older, Fnbi 2011 –ecozone by gender distributionFNBI
Ecozone Sex n%<LOD
A.M.95%CI
G.M.95%CI
10th95%CI
25th95%CI
50th95%CI
75th95%CI
90th95%CI
95th95%CI
Total Total 495 20.20.08E 0.05
30 national results
table 1.6
antimony (creatinine adjusted) - arithmetic and geometric means of urine concentrations (µg/g) for on-reserve and crown land population aged 20 years old and older, Fnbi 2011 – ecozones by gender distributionFNBI
EcozoneSex n %<
LODA.M.95%CI
G.M.95%CI
10th95%CI
25th95%CI
50th95%CI
75th95%CI
90th95%CI
95th95%CI
Total Total 495 20.20.08E 0.06
31first nations biomonitoring initiative
8.1.2 referencesATSDR(AgencyofToxicSubstancesandDiseaseRegistry).(1992).ToxicologicalProfileforAntimony.Retrievedfromwww.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp23.html
CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention(CDC).Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. Updated Tables,2012.[online]AvailableatURL:http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/.10/1512
CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention(CDC).NationalBiomonitoringProgram.BiomonitoringsummaryforAntimony(2012).[online]AvailableatURL:http://www.cdc.gov/biomoni-toring/biomonitoring_summaries.html
EURAR(EuropeanUnionRiskAssessmentReport).(2008).Draft:CAS:1309-64-4:DiantimonyTrioxide.Luxembourg:OfficeforOfficialPublicationsoftheEuropeanCommunities.Retrievedfromwww.ecb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/risk-assessment/
HealthCanada.(1997).GuidelinesforCanadianDrinkingWaterQuality–SupportingDocument:Antimony.WaterQualityandHealthBureau,SafeEnvironmentsProgramme.Retrievedfromwww.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/water-eau/antimony-antimoine/index-eng.php
HealthCanada(2010).ReportonHumanBiomonitoringofEnvironmentalChemicalsinCanada.ResultsoftheCanadianHealthMeasuresSurveyCycle1(2007-2009).Retrievedfromwww.healthcanada.gc.ca
KentnerM.,LeinemannM.,Schaller,K.H.,Weltle,D.,&Lenert,G.(1995).Externalandinternalantimonyexposureinstarterbatteryproduction.InternationalArchivesofOccupationalandEnvironmentalHealth67,119–23.
NTP(NationalToxicologyProgram).(2005).AntimonyTrioxide:BriefToxicologicalSummary.Retrievedfromwww.ntp.niehs.nih.gov/?objectid=7F90D949-F1F6-975E-7C681F79F29176F6#antimtriox
WHO(WorldHealthOrganization).(2003).AntimonyinDrinking-water.Retrievedfromwww.who.int/water_sanita-tion_health/dwq/chemicals/0304_74/en/index.html
32 national results
8.2 arsenic
Arsenic(As)isanaturallyoccurringelementwhichmayenterlakes,rivers,orgroundwaternaturally,whenmineraldepos-itsorrockscontainingarsenicdissolves.Theprimaryhumansourcesofarsenicreleasedtotheenvironmentarethesmelt-ingofmetalores(mainlygoldinCanada),theuseofarsenicalpesticides,andtheburningoffossilfuels(HC,2006).
Arsenicwasusedinthepastbyapplyingleadarsenateasapesticideinappleorchardsandvineyards,andarsenictri-oxideasanherbicide(HealthCanada,2006;ATSDR,2007).Chromatedcopperarsenateisusedonlyforindustrialpurpos-esandfordomesticwoodfoundationsbutwasformerlyusedasawoodpreservativeinresidentialconstructionprojectssuchasplaygroundstructuresanddecks(PMRA,2005).Nowadays,itisusedinthemanufactureoftransistors,lasers,andsemi-conductors,andintheprocessingofglass,pigments,textiles,paper,metaladhesives,ceramics,woodpreservatives,ammunition,andexplosives.
Themainsourceofarsenicintakeisthroughfood,mainlymeatandfish.Otherroutesofexposureincludedrinkingwater,soil,andambientair(EnvironmentCanada&HealthCanada,1993).Peoplelivinginthesurroundingareasofindustrialandgeologicalsourcesmaybemoreexposedtoarsenic,usuallythroughdrinkingwater.Higherlevelsofarseniccanbefoundingroundwaterthaninsurfacewater,whereitcanalsobefound.Somestudieshaveshownthatsmokersarealsoexposedtoarsenicincigarettes,althoughitisconsideredtobeofminorimportanceforarsenicabsorption(Schneider&Krivan,1993).
8.2.1 FindingsArsenicwasmeasuredinbloodandurineoftheFNBIsampleandispresentedasμg/Lblood,μg/Lurineandμg/gcreatinine(Tables2.1–2.9).Arseniclevelscanprovidephysiciansandhealthofficialswithreferencerangesthatcanbeusedtode-terminewhetherpeoplehavebeenexposedtohigherlevelsofarsenicthanarefoundinotherpopulations.
Levelsofbloodandurinaryarsenicreflectrecentexposure.Findingameasurableamountofarsenicdoesnotnecessarilymeanthatanadversehealtheffectwilloccur.
BloodandurinaryarseniclevelsobservedintheFNBIsampleweresignificantlylowerthanlevelsobservedintheCHMSsample.
Forbloodarsenic,whenobservingecozonetablesbyagedistribution(Table2.2),thePacificregiontotaland20-39yeargroupshavehigherlevelsthanthoseofthesameCHMSgroups.Thesamecanbeobservedintheecozonetablebygen-der(Table2.3)forurinaryarsenic(creatinineadjusted)forthe20-39agegroup.
33first nations biomonitoring initiative
table 2.1.
arsenic - arithmetic and geometric means of blood concentrations (µg/l) for on-reserve and crown land population aged 20 years old and older, Fnbi 2011
Population Sex n %<LODA.M.95%CI
G.M.95%CI
10th95%CI
25th95%CI
50th95%CI
75th95%CI
90th95%CI
95th95%CI
ComparedtoCHMSG.M.
FNBITotal
Total 473 15.600.84 0.49
34 national results
arsenic - arithmetic and geometric means of blood concentrations (µg/l) for on-reserve and crown land population aged 20 years old and older, Fnbi 2011 – ecozones by age distributionFNBI
EcozoneAgegroup n
%<LOD
A.M.95%CI
G.M.95%CI
10th95%CI
25th95%CI
50th95%CI
75th95%CI
90th95%CI
95th95%CI
Boreal Total 52 30.30.48E 0.37E
35first nations biomonitoring initiative
table 2.3.
arsenic - arithmetic and geometric means of blood concentrations (µg/l) for on-reserve and crown land population aged 20 years old and older, Fnbi 2011 – ecozones by gender distributionFNBI
Ecozone Sex n%<LOD
A.M.95%CI
G.M.95%CI
10th95%CI
25th95%CI
50th95%CI
75th95%CI
90th95%CI
95th95%CI
Total Total 473 15.60.84 0.49
36 national results
table 2.4.
arsenic - arithmetic and geometric means of urine concentrations (µg/l) for on-reserve and crown land population aged 20 years old and older, Fnbi 2011
Population Sex n %<LODA.M.95%CI
G.M.95%CI
10th95%CI
25th95%CI
50th95%CI
75th95%CI
90th95%CI
95th95%CI
ComparedtoCHMSG.M.
FNBITotal
Total 495 8.1011.63 4.47 F 2.21E 4.29 7.98 20.96 39.12
↓10.10-13.16 3.40-5.89 F 1.22-3.20 3.49-5.09 6.77-9.18 16.94-24.98 30.89-47.34
F 302 8.9010.90 4.22 F 1.93E 4.04 7.90 20.78 42.47E
↓8.43-13.37 3.28-5.44 F 1.10-2.77 3.25-4.83 5.40-10.40 16.02-25.54 28.01-56.93
M 193 6.7012.35 4.73 F 2.66E 4.38 8.03 20.47 38.38E
↓10.15-14.54 3.42-6.54 F 1.65-3.68 2.99-5.78 6.96-9.09 14.59-26.36 22.98-53.78
CHMS
Total 3474 0.1723.29 12.07 3.19 5.84 11.84 24.32 44.88 70.83
17.98-28.59 10.11-14.4 2.9-3.48 5-6.69 9.3-14.37 18.84-29.79 37.6-52.16 51.03-90.63
F 1842 0.1621.44 10.66 2.79 5.01 10.65 21.88 41.45 67.88
16.47-26.4 9.06-12.54 2.34-3.24 4.24-5.79 8.64-12.66 18.11-25.64 33.6-49.29 47.31-88.46
M 1632 0.1825.18 13.69 3.78 7.02 13.26 27.5 47.38 73.49
18.71-31.65 11.24-16.69 3.37-4.19 5.71-8.34 9.8-16.72 20.51-34.49 37.06-57.71 50.98-96
Note:If>40%ofsampleswerebelowLOD,thepercentiledistributionisreportedbutmeanswerenotcalculatedEmeansthatthesurveyestimatesshouldbeusedwithcaution.Theirassociatedcoefficientofvariationarebetween16.6%and33.3%Fmeansthatthesurveyestimatesweretoounreliabletobepublished.Theirassociatedcoefficientofvariationwereabove33.3%“-”or“.”meansthatthesurveyestimatesortheircoefficientofvariationcouldn’tbecalculated.
table 2.5
arsenic (creatinine adjusted) - arithmetic and geometric means of urine concentrations (µg/g) for on-reserve and crown land population aged 20 years old and older, Fnbi 2011
Population Sex n %<LODA.M.95%CI
G.M.95%CI
10th95%CI
25th95%CI
50th95%CI
75th95%CI
90th95%CI
95th95%CI
ComparedtoCHMSG.M.
FNBITotal
Total 494 7.9010.25 5.02 1.85E 2.75 4.42 8.11 18.02 38.11E
↓8.81-11.70 3.94-6.40 1.13-2.58 2.10-3.40 3.63-5.21 7.01-9.21 15.07-20.98 24.26-51.96
F 302 8.9012.38 5.73 2.23 3.10 4.90 9.24 21.61E 51.07E
↓9.34-15.42 4.50-7.29 1.62-2.85 2.46-3.74 3.81-5.99 7.62-10.86 8.46-34.76 25.66-76.47
M 192 6.308.16 4.42 1.65E 2.44 3.77 7.11 17.52 20.24E
↓6.84-9.47 3.34-5.84 0.82-2.48 1.66-3.22 2.93-4.62 6.28-7.95 13.71-21.34 12.18-28.31
CHMS
Total 3465 0.1727.22 14.94 4.88 7.75 13.73 25.97 48.58 71.88
18.56-35.89 11.97-18.65 3.9-5.86 6.16-9.35 10.62-16.85 20.01-31.93 34.76-62.4 46.33-97.42
F 1839 0.1628.09 16.75 5.41 8.61 15.31 28.93 53.95 86.57
20.52-35.65 13.32-21.06 4.33-6.5 6.67-10.55 11.78-18.84 20.62-37.25 38.44-69.45 54.73-118.4E
M 1626 0.1826.34 13.30 4.5 7.04 11.97 22.83 41.69 63.56
15.53-37.16 10.67-16.57 3.54-5.46 5.6-8.47 9-14.93 17.98-27.68 27.89-55.48 44.56-82.57
Note:If>40%ofsampleswerebelowLOD,thepercentiledistributionisreportedbutmeanswerenotcalculatedEmeansthatthesurveyestimatesshouldbeusedwithcaution.Theirassociatedcoefficientofvariationarebetween16.6%and33.3%Fmeansthatthesurveyestimatesweretoounreliabletobepublished.Theirassociatedcoefficientofvariationwereabove33.3%“-”or“.”meansthatthesurveyestimatesortheircoefficientofvariationcouldn’tbecalculated.
37first nations biomonitoring initiative
table 2.6
arsenic - arithmetic and geometric means of urine concentrations (µg/l) for on-reserve and crown land population aged 20 years old and older, Fnbi 2011 – ecozones by age distributionFNBI
EcozoneAgegroup n
%<LOD
A.M.95%CI
G.M.95%CI
10th95%CI
25th95%CI
50th95%CI
75th95%CI
90th95%CI
95th95%CI
Total Total 495 8.111.63 4.47 F 2.21E 4.29 7.98 20.96 39.12
10.10-13.16 3.40-5.89 F 1.22-3.20 3.49-5.09 6.77-9.18 16.94-24.98 30.89-47.34
Total 20-39 203 10.810.61 4.40
38 national results
arsenic - arithmetic and geometric means of urine concentrations (µg/l) for on-reserve and crown land population aged 20 years old and older, Fnbi 2011 – ecozones by age distributionFNBI
EcozoneAgegroup n
%<LOD
A.M.95%CI
G.M.95%CI
10th95%CI
25th95%CI
50th95%CI
75th95%CI
90th95%CI
95th95%CI
Pacific 60-99 21 0.051.26E 14.53E 1.05E 2.29E F F 137.20 .29.38-73.14 9.40-22.47 0.43-1.68 1.10-3.49 F F 127.02-147.39 .
Prairies Total 82 36.6F F
39first nations biomonitoring initiative
arsenic (creatinine adjusted) - arithmetic and geometric means of urine concentrations (µg/g) for on-reserve and crown land population aged 20 years old and older, Fnbi 2011 – ecozones by age distributionFNBI
EcozoneAgegroup n
%<LOD
A.M.95%CI
G.M.95%CI
10th95%CI
25th95%CI
50th95%CI
75th95%CI
90th95%CI
95th95%CI
Boreal 40-59 62 1.64.85 4.19 2.15 3.02 3.90 4.97 8.55 11.99
4.22-5.48 3.77-4.65 1.61-2.69 2.25-3.80 3.45-4.35 3.83-6.11 5.85-11.24 8.78-15.20
Boreal 60-99 19 5.35.63 4.93 2.31E 3.22 5.36 6.01 8.45E 10.35
5.14-6.13 4.59-5.30 0.86-3.75 2.41-4.03 4.02-6.70 4.84-7.19 5.40-11.49 7.31-13.39
GreatLakes Total 71 1.4
7.22 4.97 2.16 2.78 3.61E 8.80 13.73 25.66E6.83-7.62 4.84-5.10 1.46-2.85 1.91-3.64 1.29-5.93 6.58-11.03 10.29-17.18 12.95-38.37
GreatLakes 20-39 25 0.0
8.53E 5.09 1.88 2.23 3.42 9.58E F .5.31-11.76 4.07-6.36 1.80-1.96 2.22-2.25 2.51-4.34 6.14-13.03 F .
GreatLakes 40-59 33 3.0
7.29 5.40 2.33 2.89 4.58 8.07 11.43 18.966.20-8.37 5.23-5.58 2.10-2.56 1.95-3.82 3.18-5.98 6.67-9.47 10.54-12.32 .-.
GreatLakes 60-99 13 0.0
4.51E 4.04E 2.49 3.35 3.37 4.50 8.05 9.711.90-7.11 2.69-6.07 2.45-2.52 3.35-3.36 2.38-4.35 3.14-5.86 6.36-9.75 .-.
Pacific Total 98 3.135.31 17.23 3.57E 7.52E 15.40 41.73E 103.07 123.45
27.99-42.63 12.52-23.71 2.25-4.89 4.68-10.37 10.55-20.26 15.77-67.69 99.93-106.21 106.40-140.50
Pacific 20-39 25 0.042.04 20.40 3.24 11.95E 15.24 F 117.62 130.76
33.16-50.92 18.40-22.61 2.25-4.22 4.43-19.47 13.53-16.96 F 104.90-130.34 123.51-138.00
Pacific 40-59 52 5.829.92E 14.92E F 7.15 14.65E F 81.83E 101.49E13.46-46.39 8.02-27.74 F 4.93-9.36 5.40-23.89 F 34.67-129.00 60.45-142.52
Pacific 60-99 21 0.028.71E 14.86E . 5.53 13.25E 45.02E 69.38E .17.07-40.35 8.96-24.62 . 4.17-6.90 8.17-18.33 19.35-70.70 42.89-95.87 .
Prairies Total 82 36.6F F
40 national results
table 2.8
arsenic - arithmetic and geometric means of urine concentrations (µg/l) for on-reserve and crown land population aged 20 years old and older, Fnbi 2011 – ecozones by gender distributionFNBI
Ecozone Sex n%<LOD
A.M.95%CI
G.M.95%CI
10th95%CI
25th95%CI
50th95%CI
75th95%CI
90th95%CI
95th95%CI
Total Total 495 8.111.63 4.47 F 2.21E 4.29 7.98 20.96 39.12
10.10-13.16 3.40-5.89 F 1.22-3.20 3.49-5.09 6.77-9.18 16.94-24.98 30.89-47.34
Total F 302 8.910.90 4.22 F 1.93E 4.04 7.90 20.78 42.47E
8.43-13.37 3.28-5.44 F 1.10-2.77 3.25-4.83 5.40-10.40 16.02-25.54 28.01-56.93
Total M 193 6.712.35 4.73 F 2.66E 4.38 8.03 20.47 38.38E
10.15-14.54 3.42-6.54 F 1.65-3.68 2.99-5.78 6.96-9.09 14.59-26.36 22.98-53.78
Atlantic Total 88 0.0F F F F F F 39.05 FF F F F F F 37.41-40.69 F
Atlantic F 55 0.0F F F F F 23.24E 48.21 49.20EF F F F F 11.12-35.36 40.86-55.57 28.84-69.55
Atlantic M 33 0.0F 6.85E 2.77 F 7.39E 11.36E 25.12E FF 3.64-12.90 2.08-3.45 F 3.96-10.82 4.71-18.00 15.56-34.68 F
Boreal Total 156 3.84.69 3.34 0.83E 1.86E 3.50 5.65 8.80E 13.54E
3.69-5.69 2.59-4.31 0.47-1.19 0.88-2.84 2.44-4.56 5.05-6.26 5.31-12.30 8.31-18.78
Boreal F 92 4.34.14E 2.92E 0.79E 1.33E 2.86 4.93E 8.38E 11.27E2.47-5.82 2.09-4.09 0.50-1.07 0.54-2.11 1.96-3.75 2.93-6.93 3.73-13.04 4.39-18.14
Boreal M 64 3.15.22 3.80 0.91E 2.40E 4.30 5.86 9.24 14.42
4.82-5.61 3.17-4.55 0.38-1.43 1.24-3.56 4.06-4.54 5.32-6.40 7.88-10.61 12.77-16.06
GreatLakes Total 71 1.4
8.16 5.30 2.07 2.95 4.21 7.57 15.41E F5.73-10.60 4.79-5.87 1.52-2.61 2.74-3.16 4.16-4.26 6.66-8.48 8.69-22.13 F
GreatLakes F 45 2.2
7.56 5.40 1.88E 3.48 6.03 8.69 14.36 18.897.48-7.65 5.15-5.67 0.92-2.85 2.80-4.16 4.29-7.77 8.08-9.31 14.15-14.56 18.56-19.23
GreatLakes M 26 0.0
8.78E 5.20 2.09 2.91 4.14 6.20 F F4.01-13.54 4.10-6.58 2.08-2.10 2.56-3.26 2.93-5.34 4.72-7.68 F F
Pacific Total 98 3.144.47 16.69 2.54 4.79 18.51E 40.18 119.99E 178.95
36.31-52.63 14.51-19.19 1.87-3.21 4.17-5.40 11.03-26.00 32.32-48.04 69.59-170.39 168.50-189.39
Pacific F 58 5.241.62E 18.56E 4.54 F 18.72E 50.70E 90.82 147.46E27.04-56.20 12.23-28.15 3.68-5.40 F 12.35-25.10 31.81-69.58 61.98-119.65 98.65-196.27
Pacific M 40 0.047.31 15.01 2.39 3.55E 12.70 32.51E F 177.85
34.67-59.95 11.68-19.30 2.24-2.55 1.60-5.49 9.37-16.03 20.25-44.77 F 157.64-198.05
Prairies Total 82 36.6F F
41first nations biomonitoring initiative
table 2.9
arsenic (creatinine adjusted) - arithmetic and geometric means of urine concentrations (µg/g) for on-reserve and crown land population aged 20 years old and older, Fnbi 2011 – ecozones by gender distributionFNBI
Ecozone Sex n%<LOD
A.M.95%CI
G.M.95%CI
10th95%CI
25th95%CI
50th95%CI
75th95%CI
90th95%CI
95th95%CI
Total Total 494 7.910.25 5.02 1.85E 2.75 4.42 8.11 18.02 38.11E
8.81-11.70 3.94-6.40 1.13-2.58 2.10-3.40 3.63-5.21 7.01-9.21 15.07-20.98 24.26-51.96
Total F 302 8.912.38 5.73 2.23 3.10 4.90 9.24 21.61E 51.07E
9.34-15.42 4.50-7.29 1.62-2.85 2.46-3.74 3.81-5.99 7.62-10.86 8.46-34.76 25.66-76.47
Total M 192 6.38.16 4.42 1.65E 2.44 3.77 7.11 17.52 20.24E
6.84-9.47 3.34-5.84 0.82-2.48 1.66-3.22 2.93-4.62 6.28-7.95 13.71-21.34 12.18-28.31
Atlantic Total 88 0.0F 6.54E F F 6.93E F F FF 3.91-10.93 F F 4.02-9.84 F F F
Atlantic F 55 0.014.14E 9.50 2.72E 4.54E 9.90 17.74E 25.50 39.158.53-19.75 7.03-12.83 1.25-4.19 2.38-6.71 8.15-11.65 8.69-26.78 24.12-26.89 37.59-40.71
Atlantic M 33 0.0F F 1.58 F F 11.32 F FF F 1.52-1.65 F F 7.85-14.79 F F
Boreal Total 155 3.25.15 4.12 2.06 2.74 3.89 5.58 8.26 11.57E
3.77-6.53 3.50-4.85 1.58-2.54 2.27-3.21 3.25-4.53 4.57-6.59 6.21-10.31 4.67-18.47
Boreal F 92 4.36.04E 4.60 2.26 2.83 4.28 6.01 F F3.20-8.87 3.46-6.13 1.76-2.76 2.22-3.45 3.15-5.40 4.09-7.94 F F
Boreal M 63 1.64.29 3.70 1.87 2.67 3.57 4.70 7.39 8.80E
4.19-4.39 3.47-3.95 1.38-2.37 2.20-3.14 3.14-4.01 4.25-5.15 6.25-8.53 5.29-12.31
GreatLakes Total 71 1.4
7.22 4.97 2.16 2.78 3.61E 8.80 13.73 25.66E6.83-7.62 4.84-5.10 1.46-2.85 1.91-3.64 1.29-5.93 6.58-11.03 10.29-17.18 12.95-38.37
GreatLakes F 45 2.2
6.86E 5.62 2.32 F 4.73E 9.58 11.69 14.953.82-9.90 4.21-7.49 2.22-2.41 F 2.81-6.65 8.49-10.66 9.74-13.63 12.59-17.31
GreatLakes M 26 0.0
7.59E 4.38 1.91 2.49E 3.33 F F .4.03-11.16 3.22-5.96 1.82-2.01 1.43-3.55 2.70-3.96 F F .
Pacific Total 98 3.135.31 17.23 3.57E 7.52E 15.40 41.73E 103.07 123.45
27.99-42.63 12.52-23.71 2.25-4.89 4.68-10.37 10.55-20.26 15.77-67.69 99.93-106.21 106.40-140.50
Pacific F 58 5.246.13E 21.10E 3.82 7.41E F 68.40E 123.04 140.2329.43-62.83 13.15-33.85 3.28-4.35 4.43-10.39 F 29.35-107.46 105.20-140.88 110.05-170.40
Pacific M 40 0.024.52 14.07 F F 13.99 19.47 F .
19.05-29.99 11.73-16.89 F F 11.79-16.19 18.19-20.74 F .
Prairies Total 82 36.6F F
42 national results
8.2.2 referencesATSDR(AgencyforToxicSubstancesandDiseaseRegistry).(2007).ToxicologicalProfileforArsenic.Retrievedfromwww.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp2.html
CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention(CDC).NationalBiomonitoringProgram.BiomonitoringsummaryforArsenic(2012).[online]AvailableatURL:http://www.cdc.gov/biomoni-toring/biomonitoring_summaries.html
EnvironmentCanada&HealthCanada.(1993).PrioritySubstancesListAssessmentReport:Arsenic.Ottawa:SupplyandServicesCanada.
HealthCanada.(2006).GuidelinesforCanadianDrinkingWaterQuality:GuidelineTechnicalDocument–Arsenic.Ottawa:WaterQualityandHealthBureau,HealthyEnvironmentsandConsumerSafetyBranch,HealthCanada.Retrievedfromwww.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/water-eau/arsenic/index-eng.php
HealthCanada(2010).ReportonHumanBiomonitoringofEnvironmentalChemicalsinCanada.ResultsoftheCanadianHealthMeasuresSurveyCycle1(2007-2009).Retrievedfromwww.healthcanada.gc.ca
PMRA(PestManagementRegulatoryAgency).(2005).FactSheetonChromatedCopperArsenate(CCA)TreatedWood.HealthCanada.Retrievedfromwww.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/pubs/pest/_fact-fiche/cca-acc/index-eng.php
Schneider,G.,&Krivan,V.(1993).Multi-elementanalysisofto-baccoandsmokecondensatebyinstrumentalneutronactiva-tionanalysisandatomicabsorptionspectrometry.InternationalJournalofEnvironmentalAnalyticalChemistry,53,87–100.
43first nations biomonitoring initiative
8.3 cadmium
Cadmium(Cd)isanaturallyoccurringsoft,silverywhite,bluetingedmetalmainlyreleasedintotheenvironmentasaresultofhumanactivities.Itcanalsoentertheenvironmentasaresultofnaturalprocesses,includingforestfires,volcanicemissions,andweatheringofsoilandbedrock.Industrialbasemetalsmeltingandrefiningprocesses,andcombustionprocesses,suchascoal-firedelectricalplantsandwasteincinerationreleasescadmiumintotheatmosphereasaby-product(CCME,1996).
Cadmiumisprimarilyusedinthemanufactureofnickel-cadmiumbatteries,inindustrialcoatingsandelectroplating,inpigments,andasaplasticstabilizerinPVCplasticsandispresentinmetalalloysheets,wires,rods,solders,andshieldsforvariousindustrialapplications(EnvironmentCanada&HealthCanada,1994).Itcanbefrequentlyfoundasanimpurityingalvanizedpipesandcanleachintodrinkingwater(HealthCanada,1986).SmokersareexposedtocadmiumviainhalationofcigarettesmokesincethetobaccoofonetypicalCanadiancigarettecontainsapproximately1μgofcadmium,ofwhich6–20%maybetransferredinmainstreamsmoke,basedonma-chinesmokedyields(Hammond&O’Connor,2008).Smoking20cigarettesperdaycanthereforeresultinanadditionaldailyexposureofapproximately1.2–4μgofcadmium.Themainex-posureofcadmiumfornon-smokersisthroughfood,althoughoccupationalexposurecanalsobeasignificantsource.
QuebechasestablishedanOccupationalExposureGuidancevalueforCadmiuminBloodas5μg/L(44.49nmol/L)(INSPQ,2008).
HealthCanadahasestablishedamaximumacceptableconcen-tration(MAC)of0.005mg/L(5μg/L)indrinkingwater(HealthCanada,1986).
8.3.1 FindingsCadmiumwasmeasuredinbloodandurineoftheFNBIsam-pleandispresentedasμg/Lblood,μg/Lurineandμg/gcreati-nine(Tables3.1–3.9).Cadmiumlevelscanprovidephysiciansandhealthofficialswithreferencerangesthatcanbeusedtodeterminewhetherpeoplehavebeenexposedtohigherlevelsofcadmiumthanarefoundinotherpopulations.
Levelsofbloodandurinarycadmiumreflectbothrecentandcumulativeexposure.Findingameasurableamountofcadmiumdoesnotnecessarilymeanthatanadversehealtheffectwilloccur.
Bloodcadmiumlevelsobservedin(total,femaleandmale)theFNBIsampleweresignificantlyhigher(about2timeshigher)thanlevelsobservedintheCHMSsample.UrinarycadmiumlevelsseenintheFNBIsample(totalandfemale)weresignifi-cantlyhigher(about1.5-timeshigher)thanlevelsseenintheCHMSsample.
44 national results
table 3.1
cadmium - arithmetic and geometric means of blood concentrations (µg/l) for on-reserve and crown land population aged 20 years old and older, Fnbi 2011
Population Sex n %<LODA.M.95%CI
G.M.95%CI
10th95%CI
25th95%CI
50th95%CI
75th95%CI
90th95%CI
95th95%CI
ComparedtoCHMSG.M.
FNBITotal
Total 473 0.001.71 0.96 0.11E 0.35 1.40 2.53 3.85 4.65
↑1.49-1.92 0.84-1.10 0.06-0.16 0.28-0.42 1.02-1.78 2.22-2.83 3.43-4.26 4.02-5.28
F 285 0.001.67 1.00 0.19E 0.41E 1.15E 2.48 3.83 4.65
↑1.33-2.02 0.80-1.25 0.12-0.26 0.26-0.57 0.58-1.73 2.05-2.91 3.16-4.51 4.08-5.21
M 188 0.001.74 0.93 0.11 0.32E 1.49E 2.66 3.85 4.62
↑1.50-1.98 0.74-1.16 0.08-0.13 0.19-0.44 0.98-2.00 2.22-3.10 3.30-4.40 3.71-5.53
CHMS
Total 3463 1.010.87 0.42 0.12 0.19 0.34 0.78 2.77 3.8
0.80-0.95 0.39-0.45 0.11-0.14 0.18-0.21 0.31-0.36 0.66-0.91 2.37-3.16 3.41-4.2
F 1836 0.540.92 0.47 0.15 0.23 0.37 0.79 2.81 4.03
0.83-1.00 0.44-0.51 0.13-0.16 0.21-0.25 0.33-0.41 0.66-0.92 2.4-3.22 3.47-4.59
M 1627 1.540.82 0.38 0.11 0.16 0.28 0.76 2.61 3.73
0.71-0.94 0.33-0.43 0.1-0.12 0.14-0.18 0.24-0.31 0.53-1 2.1-3.12 3.23-4.22
Note:If>40%ofsampleswerebelowLOD,thepercentiledistributionisreportedbutmeanswerenotcalculatedEmeansthatthesurveyestimatesshouldbeusedwithcaution.Theirassociatedcoefficientofvariationarebetween16.6%and33.3%Fmeansthatthesurveyestimatesweretoounreliabletobepublished.Theirassociatedcoefficientofvariationwereabove33.3%“-”or“.”meansthatthesurveyestimatesortheircoefficientofvariationcouldn’tbecalculated.
tables 3.2
cadmium - arithmetic and geometric means of blood concentrations (µg/l) for on-reserve and crown land population aged 20 years old and older, Fnbi 2011 – ecozones by age distributionFNBI
EcozoneAgegroup n
%<LOD
A.M.95%CI
G.M.95%CI
10th95%CI
25th95%CI
50th95%CI
75th95%CI
90th95%CI
95th95%CI
Total Total 473 0.01.71 0.96 0.11E 0.35 1.40 2.53 3.85 4.65
1.49-1.92 0.84-1.10 0.06-0.16 0.28-0.42 1.02-1.78 2.22-2.83 3.43-4.26 4.02-5.28
Total 20-39 187 0.01.96 1.24 F 0.60E 1.69 2.68 3.95 5.08
1.69-2.24 0.99-1.56 F 0.40-0.81 1.42-1.96 2.41-2.96 3.17-4.73 4.03-6.14
Total 40-59 206 0.01.70 0.95 F 0.32 1.38E 2.68 3.86 4.28
1.26-2.14 0.78-1.17 F 0.28-0.36 0.62-2.13 1.82-3.53 3.22-4.51 3.45-5.11
Total 60-99 80 0.00.85E 0.41E F F F F F 3.470.37-1.34 0.24-0.73 F F F F F 2.71-4.23
Atlantic Total 78 0.01.88 1.27 0.27 0.50 1.76 2.40 3.74 4.52
1.65-2.11 1.08-1.50 0.24-0.29 0.34-0.67 1.60-1.92 2.29-2.50 3.14-4.35 3.15-5.88
Atlantic 20-39 24 0.02.18 1.68E 0.40E F 1.83 2.34 . .
1.73-2.62 1.14-2.49 0.14-0.67 F 1.59-2.07 1.89-2.79 . .
Atlantic 40-59 39 0.01.86 1.13 0.13E 0.36E 1.60 2.68 3.71 4.00
1.52-2.20 1.05-1.23 0.06-0.19 0.20-0.53 1.17-2.04 2.07-3.28 2.80-4.62 3.83-4.17
Atlantic 60-99 15 0.01.02E 0.75 0.29 0.32 0.68E F 1.84 2.960.44-1.60 0.61-0.92 .-. 0.29-0.36 0.35-1.00 F .-. .-.
45first nations biomonitoring initiative
cadmium - arithmetic and geometric means of blood concentrations (µg/l) for on-reserve and crown land population aged 20 years old and older, Fnbi 2011 – ecozones by age distributionFNBI
EcozoneAgegroup n
%<LOD
A.M.95%CI
G.M.95%CI
10th95%CI
25th95%CI
50th95%CI
75th95%CI
90th95%CI
95th95%CI
Boreal Total 152 0.01.70 0.95 F 0.33E 1.36E 2.45 3.90 4.70
1.32-2.08 0.76-1.18 F 0.12-0.55 0.88-1.84 2.09-2.81 2.88-4.92 3.71-5.69
Boreal 20-39 73 0.02.05 1.47 0.41E F 1.81 2.53 4.01 5.13E
1.71-2.39 1.21-1.80 0.17-0.65 F 1.53-2.08 2.18-2.88 2.78-5.24 3.37-6.89
Boreal 40-59 60 0.01.50E 0.68E 0.08 0.19 F F 3.91 4.580.75-2.24 0.45-1.01 0.06-0.10 0.16-0.23 F F 3.32-4.50 3.59-5.57
Boreal 60-99 19 0.00.67E 0.32E F F 0.21E 1.01E 2.02E 2.15E0.44-0.91 0.20-0.51 F F 0.10-0.33 0.37-1.64 1.28-2.76 1.41-2.89
GreatLakes Total 70 0.0
1.95 0.99 0.10 0.30 1.25E 3.43 4.66 5.371.62-2.28 0.95-1.03 0.10-0.11 0.23-0.37 0.76-1.73 3.15-3.71 3.77-5.55 5.25-5.49
GreatLakes 20-39 24 0.0
2.68E F 0.27 0.76E F 3.93E 5.37 5.641.50-3.86 F 0.26-0.28 0.37-1.15 F 2.15-5.70 .-. .-.
GreatLakes 40-59 32 0.0
2.02E 1.23 0.22 0.36E F F 3.75 4.030.78-3.26 1.18-1.29 0.20-0.24 0.23-0.50 F F 3.62-3.88 .-.
GreatLakes 60-99 14 0.0
F F . . F F 0.97E 1.09F F . . F F 0.35-1.59 .-.
Pacific Total 96 0.01.28 0.69E 0.09E F F 2.12E 2.91 3.21
0.87-1.68 0.40-1.17 0.06-0.11 F F 1.25-2.99 2.88-2.94 3.09-3.34
Pacific 20-39 22 0.0F F . F F F 2.66E .F F . F F F 1.02-4.31 .
Pacific 40-59 51 0.01.63 1.15 F 0.62E 1.34 2.53 3.09 3.25
1.32-1.94 0.83-1.58 F 0.23-1.00 0.93-1.75 2.45-2.61 2.92-3.26 2.87-3.64
Pacific 60-99 23 0.01.36 0.89 0.37E 0.41 0.63 2.04 3.49 .
1.19-1.53 0.75-1.06 0.20-0.54 0.30-0.52 0.60-0.66 1.63-2.46 2.64-4.34 .
Prairies Total 77 0.01.83 1.26 0.29E F 1.86 2.66 3.37 3.73
1.38-2.29 0.94-1.71 0.18-0.39 F 1.46-2.25 1.87-3.45 2.93-3.80 3.25-4.21
Prairies 20-39 44 0.01.80 1.26E F F F 2.65 3.31 3.42
1.25-2.35 0.71-2.24 F F F 2.07-3.23 3.16-3.47 2.69-4.14
Prairies 40-59 24 0.01.97E 1.56E 0.35 F F 2.60E 3.32E 3.770.94-3.01 0.94-2.60 .-. F F 1.58-3.61 1.88-4.77 .-.
Prairies 60-99 9 0.0F F . 0.18E F F . .F F . 0.07-0.28 F F . .
Note:If>40%ofsampleswerebelowLOD,thepercentiledistributionisreportedbutmeanswerenotcalculatedEmeansthatthesurveyestimatesshouldbeusedwithcaution.Theirassociatedcoefficientofvariationarebetween16.6%and33.3%Fmeansthatthesurveyestimatesweretoounreliabletobepublished.Theirassociatedcoefficientofvariationwereabove33.3%“-”or“.”meansthatthesurveyestimatesortheircoefficientofvariationcouldn’tbecalculated.
46 national results
table 3.3
cadmium - arithmetic and geometric means of blood concentrations (µg/l) for on-reserve and crown land population aged 20 years old and older, Fnbi 2011 – ecozones by gender distributionFNBI
Ecozone Sex n%<LOD
A.M.95%CI
G.M.95%CI
10th95%CI
25th95%CI
50th95%CI
75th95%CI
90th95%CI
95th95%CI
Total Total 473 0.01.71 0.96 0.11E 0.35 1.40 2.53 3.85 4.65
1.49-1.92 0.84-1.10 0.06-0.16 0.28-0.42 1.02-1.78 2.22-2.83 3.43-4.26 4.02-5.28
Total F 285 0.01.67 1.00 0.19E 0.41E 1.15E 2.48 3.83 4.65
1.33-2.02 0.80-1.25 0.12-0.26 0.26-0.57 0.58-1.73 2.05-2.91 3.16-4.51 4.08-5.21
Total M 188 0.01.74 0.93 0.11 0.32E 1.49E 2.66 3.85 4.62
1.50-1.98 0.74-1.16 0.08-0.13 0.19-0.44 0.98-2.00 2.22-3.10 3.30-4.40 3.71-5.53
Atlantic Total 78 0.01.88 1.27 0.27 0.50 1.76 2.40 3.74 4.52
1.65-2.11 1.08-1.50 0.24-0.29 0.34-0.67 1.60-1.92 2.29-2.50 3.14-4.35 3.15-5.88
Atlantic F 47 0.02.03 1.31 F 0.50E 1.64 2.92 4.52E 4.65E
1.84-2.22 1.12-1.53 F 0.29-0.72 1.16-2.13 2.03-3.81 2.81-6.22 3.04-6.27
Atlantic M 31 0.01.73 1.24E F 0.39E 1.78E 2.19 3.30 3.40
1.45-2.02 0.78-1.98 F 0.16-0.61 0.82-2.74 1.85-2.53 2.63-3.96 3.04-3.75
Boreal Total 152 0.01.70 0.95 F 0.33E 1.36E 2.45 3.90 4.70
1.32-2.08 0.76-1.18 F 0.12-0.55 0.88-1.84 2.09-2.81 2.88-4.92 3.71-5.69
Boreal F 88 0.01.68 0.98 F 0.41E F 2.49 3.79 4.68
1.21-2.15 0.74-1.30 F 0.20-0.63 F 1.97-3.00 2.62-4.96 3.71-5.65
Boreal M 64 0.01.72 0.92 F 0.26E 1.42E 2.39E 3.89 4.56
1.36-2.08 0.76-1.13 F 0.14-0.37 0.94-1.91 1.61-3.18 2.96-4.83 3.56-5.56
GreatLakes Total 70 0.0
1.95 0.99 0.10 0.30 1.25E 3.43 4.66 5.371.62-2.28 0.95-1.03 0.10-0.11 0.23-0.37 0.76-1.73 3.15-3.71 3.77-5.55 5.25-5.49
GreatLakes F 4 0.0
F F F F F 3.37E 3.99E 5.20EF F F F F 1.77-4.98 2.43-5.56 2.91-7.49
GreatLakes M
260.0
2.15 F . F F F 4.67 5.31
1.55-2.74 F . F F F 4.47-4.88 .-.
Pacific Total 960.0
0.0
1.28 0.69E 0.09E F F 2.12E 2.91 3.21
0.87-1.68 0.40-1.17 0.06-0.11 F F 1.25-2.99 2.88-2.94 3.09-3.34
Pacific F 57 .01.13 0.67 . 0.23E 0.69 1.53 2.46 3.45
0.92-1.35 0.55-0.82 . 0.11-0.35 0.57-0.80 1.33-1.73 1.85-3.08 2.75-4.16
Pacific M 39 0.01.42E F . F F 2.65E 2.92 3.160.68-2.17 F . F F 1.31-3.99 2.88-2.96 3.06-3.26
Prairies Total 77 0.01.83 1.26 0.29E F 1.86 2.66 3.37 3.73
1.38-2.29 0.94-1.71 0.18-0.39 F 1.46-2.25 1.87-3.45 2.93-3.80 3.25-4.21
Prairies F 9 0.02.03 1.54 0.35 F 2.06E 2.86 3.40 3.70
1.45-2.61 1.11-2.14 0.31-0.40 F 1.32-2.79 2.10-3.62 3.09-3.72 3.34-4.05
Prairies M28
0.01.64E 1.03E F F 1.62E 2.30E 3.34 3.55
0.99-2.29 0.57-1.89 F F 0.81-2.43 1.32-3.27 2.41-4.28 3.00-4.11
Note:If>40%ofsampleswerebelowLOD,thepercentiledistributionisreportedbutmeanswerenotcalculatedEmeansthatthesurveyestimatesshouldbeusedwithcaution.Theirassociatedcoefficientofvariationarebetween16.6%and33.3%Fmeansthatthesurveyestimatesweretoounreliabletobepublished.Theirassociatedcoefficientofvariationwereabove33.3%“-”or“.”meansthatthesurveyestimatesortheircoefficientofvariationcouldn’tbecalculated.
47first nations biomonitoring initiative
table 3.4
cadmium - arithmetic and geometric means of urine concentrations (µg/l) for on-reserve and crown land population aged 20 years old and older, Fnbi 2011
Population Sex n %<LODA.M.95%CI
G.M.95%CI
10th95%CI
25th95%CI
50th95%CI
75th95%CI
90th95%CI
95th95%CI
ComparedtoCHMSG.M.
FNBITotal
Total 495 2.000.79 0.54 0.11E 0.33 0.61 1.02 1.61 2.07
↑0.72-0.86 0.47-0.63 0.05-0.17 0.27-0.39 0.54-0.67 0.94-1.11 1.44-1.78 1.81-2.33
F 302 1.300.83 0.56 0.11E 0.31 0.60 1.08 1.74 2.23
↑0.76-0.90 0.49-0.64 0.05-0.17 0.26-0.37 0.53-0.67 0.96-1.20 1.64-1.83 1.99-2.47
M 193 3.100.75 0.53 F 0.34 0.61 1.00 1.47 1.76
-0.64-0.86 0.42-0.66 F 0.25-0.42 0.51-0.72 0.83-1.17 1.09-1.86 1.42-2.10
CHMS
Total 3474 8.000.60 0.37 0.1 0.21 0.41 0.74 1.31 1.76
0.57-0.63 0.34-0.41 40%ofsampleswerebelowLOD,thepercentiledistributionisreportedbutmeanswerenotcalculatedEmeansthatthesurveyestimatesshouldbeusedwithcaution.Theirassociatedcoefficientofvariationarebetween16.6%and33.3%Fmeansthatthesurveyestimatesweretoounreliabletobepublished.Theirassociatedcoefficientofvariationwereabove33.3%“-”or“.”meansthatthesurveyestimatesortheircoefficientofvariationcouldn’tbecalculated.
48 national results
table 3.6
cadmium - arithmetic and geometric means of urine concentrations (µg/l) for on-reserve and crown land population aged 20 years old and older, Fnbi 2011 – ecozones by age distributionFNBI
EcozoneAgegroup n
%<LOD
A.M.95%CI
G.M.95%CI
10th95%CI
25th95%CI
50th95%CI
75th95%CI
90th95%CI
95th95%CI
Total Total 495 2.00.79 0.54 0.11E 0.33 0.61 1.02 1.61 2.07
0.72-0.86 0.47-0.63 0.05-0.17 0.27-0.39 0.54-0.67 0.94-1.11 1.44-1.78 1.81-2.33
Total 20-39 203 3.90.73 0.50 F 0.33 0.55 1.01 1.44 1.73
0.61-0.84 0.40-0.62 F 0.27-0.38 0.50-0.61 0.80-1.21 1.11-1.76 1.45-2.01
Total 40-59 213 0.90.86 0.59 F 0.36 0.67 1.07 1.79 2.57
0.75-0.96 0.51-0.68 F 0.24-0.47 0.58-0.75 0.86-1.27 1.49-2.10 1.99-3.15
Total 60-99 79 0.00.86 0.63 F 0.43 0.72 1.03 1.69 2.26
0.79-0.94 0.52-0.76 F 0.30-0.56 0.60-0.85 0.94-1.13 1.51-1.88 1.83-2.68
At