Prenatal Exposure of Canadian Children to Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Mercury L’exposition prenatale des enfants canadiens aux biphenyles polychlores et au mercure

ABSTRACT: This article documents the exposure to environmental contaminants within subgroups of the Canadian population who are considered to be at risk as a result of the food they eat. We measured the concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and mercury in the blood drawn from the umbilical cords of newborns in various Aboriginal communities, in a coastal community and in the general population. Average concentrations of Aroclor 1260 ranged between 0.3 and 2.0 ?g/L and were clearly highest among the Inuit of Nunavik and Baffin Island and among the Montagnais of Quebec. In these groups, we found contaminant levels in the blood of newborns that exceed the threshold beyond which cognitive impairments are expected to result. Average concentrations of mercury ranged between 1.0 and 14.2 ?g/L; the Inuit of Nunavik and the NWT exhibited the highest exposure levels. A portion of the Nunavik and NWT Inuit had concentrations beyond the critical threshold for the appearance of neurological consequences. The variations in exposure levels resulted from the different nutritional practices of these Canadian sub-groups. Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at 10.1007/BF03405091 and is accessible for authorized users.

SUBMITTER: Muckle G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6990203 | biostudies-literature | 1998 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature