Protecting the Health of First Nation Personnel at Contaminated Sites: A Case Study of Mid-Canada Radar Line Site 050 in Northern Canada

Abstract

Recently, First Nation (FN) organizations have entered into agreements with federal and provincial government representatives to remediate radar-line sites in Ontario. These agreements stipulated that FN people would take part in the site delineation and remediation process to gain job experience and economic benefits. One important aspect of the process was protecting FN personnel from contaminant exposure and thus, from potential negative health outcomes associated with the cleanup work itself. In this paper, we describe the safety precautions used by FN workers preparing Mid-Canada Radar Line (MCRL) Site 050 for Phase 2 of the delineation process and the health monitoring protocol that was tested. We measured concentrations of total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs as Aroclor 1260), 14 individual PCB congeners, p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDE, nine other organochlorine pesticides, and lead in the blood of Fort Albany FN workers before they started work at Site 050 and approximately a week before they completed their three-month work period in the contaminated zone. No significant differences were found in the paired samples. These results indicate that the safety precautions taken were adequate for the work and the site in question. The monitoring protocol discussed here may be used as a template and modified to meet the specific needs of other projects. The results of this study are important because other Aboriginal groups have entered or will be entering into agreements with government organizations for the remediation of other MCRL sites in Ontario and across Canada.

Impacts of place and social spaces on traditional food systems in southwestern Ontario

“…Traditional food systems are also highly influenced by resource availability and the physical environment (Kuhnlein et al, 2001;Waldram, 1985;Wein, Henderson Sabry, & Evers, 1991). Previous studies examining traditional food access and availability have often taken place in remote regions where environmental safety issues associated with traditional foods such as wild meats and fish have been viewed with concern, particularly in northern communities where contaminants have accumulated up the food chain in many species (Furgal & Seguin, 2006;Kuhnlein & Chan, 2000;Receveur et al, 1997;Tsuji et al, 2005;Waldram, 1985;Wein et al, 1991). Comparatively, in southern Canada, few studies have reported on environmentally contaminated locally harvested foods (Abonyi, 2001;Bruyere & Garro, 2000;Chan, Trifonopoulos, Ing, Receveur, & Johnson, 1999;Garro, 1994;Lang, 1989), or their decreased access due to environmental modification, such as urban development and the displacement of Indigenous species (Doolan, 1991;Hlimi, Skinner, Hanning, Martin, & Tsuji, 2012;O'Neil, Reading, & Leader, 1998;Turner & Turner, 2008;Wheatley & Paradis, 1997).…”

An Aboriginal Perspective on the Remediation of Mid-Canada Radar Line Sites in the Subarctic: A Partnership Evaluation

“…Health Issues: Health Canada became involved in assessing the Fort Albany FN workers' contaminant body burdens only after they had worked in the contaminated area; body burdens prior to work in the contaminated area were not measured (Tsuji et al, 2005). The Band generally felt that Health Canada did not seek Band or community input.…”

Contaminated Sites and Indigenous Peoples in Canada and the United States: A Scoping Review

“…A study on risk mapping of contaminants on the lands of the Navajo Nation (Churchrock Chapter, New Mexico) and a survey of 151 community members found that the maps were helpful in avoiding the risk of consumption of contaminated food and water arising from the Churchrock Uranium Mine Site (deLemos et al, 2009). Another study cited the effectiveness of safety protocols (education on the proper handling of hazardous wastes) for nine Fort Albany Cree First Nation workers (Ontario) employed to clean-up the Mid-Canada Radar Contaminated site, finding no significant burden of blood lead and PCBs before and after the clean-up (Tsuji et al, 2005). Three studies explored the influence of a lay-health advisor intervention on blood lead concentrations in children living in proximity to the Tar Creek Superfund Site, comparing results between members of the Eight Tribes and Nations of Northeastern Oklahoma and Non-Indigenous, white participants that lived near the site.…”

“…Literature on traditional food systems across Canada and the US evidences a diversity of exposure pathways unique to Indigenous communities, including for example through subsistence diets that include wild foods and medicinal plants (Chan, Fediuk, et al, 2021; Fernández-Llamazares et al, 2020; Jonasson et al, 2019). Notably, while peer-reviewed literature examined in this review documents the presence of a variety of contaminants in plant foods, wildlife, wild game, and human biomarkers (Brown et al, 2014; Denham et al, 2005; Fitzgerald et al, 1996; Fitzgerald et al, 2004; Flett et al, 2021; Garvin, 2018; Goncharov et al, 2008; Kegler & Malcoe, 2004; Michelle C Kegler et al, 2010; Koch et al, 2013; Rock et al, 2019; Samuel-Nakamura et al, 2017; Sarkar et al, 2019; Tsuji et al, 2005), information on these potential exposure sources is not captured in federal databases.…”

“…There were several media utilized in scientific research that were not identified in federal site assessments. These include human biomarkers (Denham et al, 2005;Fitzgerald et al, 1996;Fitzgerald et al, 2004;Goncharov et al, 2008;Kegler & Malcoe, 2004;Michelle C Kegler et al, 2010;Rock et al, 2019;Tsuji et al, 2005), plants and plant foods (Fitzgerald et al, 1996;Fitzgerald et al, 2004;Garvin, 2018;Koch et al, 2013;Samuel-Nakamura et al, 2017;Sarkar et al, 2019), wildlife and wild game (Brown et al, 2014;Koch et al, 2013;Rock et al, 2019;Samuel-Nakamura et al, 2017), and tree bark (Flett et al, 2021).…”