First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Study Assembly of First Nations National Water Conference Edmonton, Alberta March 6, 2012 Dr. Don Sharp, A/Director Environmental Stewardship, AFN Funding for this study is provided by Health Canada. The information and opinions expressed in this presentation are those of the authors/researchers and do not necessarily reflect the official views of Health Canada. 1
62
Embed
First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Study · First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Study ... • The project involves the participating communities at all ... •
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Study
Assembly of First Nations National Water Conference Edmonton, Alberta March 6, 2012 Dr. Don Sharp, A/Director Environmental Stewardship, AFN
Funding for this study is provided by Health Canada.
The information and opinions expressed in this presentation are those of the authors/researchers and do not necessarily reflect the official views of Health Canada.
• Gap in knowledge at the national and regional level on nutritional composition and the environmental safety of foods consumed by First Nations peoples living on reserve lands south of 60th parallel across Canada
• Lack of knowledge on the baseline levels of environmental pollutants in the traditional foods across Canada
• Gap in knowledge on the total diet of First Nations across Canada
5
First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Study
Resolution no. 30 at the AFN Annual General Assembly July 12, 2007
Halifax, NS
6
Project Led by:
Dr. Laurie Chan, Toxicologist and Professor, University of Ottawa
Dr. Olivier Receveur, Nutritionist and Professor, Université de Montréal
Dr. Donald Sharp, A/Director Environmental Stewardship, Assembly of First Nations
With contributions from: Dr. Constantine Tikhonov and Dr. Harold Schwartz
7
What is the study about?
• What kinds of traditional foods are people eating?
• How well are people eating?• What level of mercury are people
exposed to?• What amount of trace metals and
pharmaceuticals are in the water?• Is traditional food safe to eat?
8
Five Components
First Nations Food, Nutrition
and Environment Study
(FNFNES)
1. HouseholdQuestionnaire
2. Food Sampling for a Suite of
Contaminants
3. Water Sampling for
Trace Metals
5. Hair sampling for Mercury
4. Surface water Sampling for
Pharmaceuticals
9
Partnership and Community Participation
• The project involves the participating communities at all stages of the project.
• Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) guidelines are respected.
• Data is kept confidential.
10
Approach
• Methodology workshop• Community visits and negotiation of Research
Agreement• Hiring of research assistants in communities• Collecting seasonal food samples• Training of research assistants• Interviews, hair and drinking water collection• Data and sample analysis• Result reporting and communications
11
The FNFNES Sample
• 100 communities from 2008-2018• ~8 - 12 communities per year and
returning back in the last 2 years • Systematic Random Sampling by
region and ecozone
FNFNES Sampling Framework
2010 12
12
189 6
6
13
21 British Columbia communities in 5 Ecozones participated in the study in 2008-2009
14
Who can participate•19 years or older•Able to provide written consent•Self-identifies as a FN person living on reserve
15
Key BC Results- Nutritional quality of food intake below that required for optimal health—but improved when traditional food is eaten
- Excess body weight (overweight and obesity) a major issue
- Food insecurity an important problem
- Water quality satisfactory, but close monitoring recommended- Mercury exposure, as measured by levels in hair and food intake, not a health concern- Chemical contamination of traditional food not a health concern—but information important to monitor future changes
16
Nutrition Issues RaisedNutrients of concern:
• Vitamin A• Calcium• Iron
Food security
Diet related concerns• Obesity• Diabetes• Heart disease
Traditional Food
Important source of many nutrients that are not consumed in sufficient amounts
Diets are healthier when traditional food is eaten in addition to market foods
17
Metals in Drinking WaterHarold Schwartz PhDManager, Chemical Safety of Traditional FoodsEvironmental Health Research DivisionFirst Nations and Inuit Health BranchHealth Canada
Assembly of First Nations National Water ConferenceEdmonton, AlbertaMarch 6, 2012
19
Why a Drinking Water Component?Designed to complement the food component
• Test for exposure to metals coming from drinking water and compare to total diet
Interested in water in households because plumbing systems can contain trace metals so they can contribute to total intake
20
Sources of Lead & Copper at the Tap
21
1. Estimate How Much Water Consumed
The household interviews include questions about the water consumed, e.g.:
– The water used for drinking and cooking
– Daily consumption of water (e.g. how many cups of water, coffee, tea, juice, etc. does the interviewee drink every day?)
22
2. Collect Drinking Water Samples
In each community, 20 households invited to participate
In each household we collect:• a first draw sample• a flushed sample • if applicable, an additional sample for alternative sources of
drinking water• if needed a duplicate sample
Send to lab for analysis
23
Lab Measures the Following Metals:Aluminum Chromium Molybdenum TelluriumAntimony Cobalt Nickel ThalliumArsenic Copper Phosphorus ThoriumBarium Iron Potassium Tin
There is generally no concern regarding the trace metal levels in the drinking water.
It is recommended that the tap water be flushed once in the morning before consumption.
In addition, flushing the toilet or using the shower before drinking tap water, will also reduce levels of exposure to metals from indoor plumbing.
28
Pharmaceuticals in Surface WaterHarold Schwartz PhDManager, Chemical Safety of Traditional FoodsEnvironmental Health Research DivisionFirst Nations and Inuit Health BranchAssembly of First Nations National Water ConferenceEdmonton, AlbertaMarch 6, 2012
29
What are Pharmaceuticals? (Merck Manual 1997)
Substances used in the:
• Cure• Relief• Treatment, and • Prevention of disease
30
Origins of Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (Daughton, 2002 & 2007)
Unused medication disposed of expired & unwanted in the toilet, drains or garbage
Unmetabolized drugs (typically 30 – 50%) in sewage
• Subject to the notification requirement of the New Substance Notification Regulations (NSNR) of Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) since 2001;– HC conducts an environmental risk assessment for these new
substances where use exceeds 100 kg/year. At 1,000 kg/year physical/chemical and acute ecotoxicity study is required (Beck, 2007).
•• British Columbia:
-BC Established Ambient Water Quality Guideline for Pharmaceutical 17a-ethinyl estradiol (EE2) September 2009
-0.5 ng/L
57
Existing Regulations Cont’United States:
• US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has included 11 pharmaceuticals on its Contaminant Candidate List 3 (CCL 3) that may require a national drinking water regulation in the future (USEPA, 2009). The 11 contaminants are listed below: – 17alpha-estradiol, Equilenin, Equilin, Erythromycin,
• 1st country to propose establishing pharmaceutical guidelines for water recycling (Australian Guidelines, 2008);
• List of 645 chemicals is currently used to monitor the environment (water, soil, sediment, air and/or biota) even though guidelines are not available for all compounds (Australian Government, 2008);– The list includes 17 pharmaceuticals: amoxicillin, ampicillin,