PRENATAL EXPOSURE OF CANADIAN CHILDREN TO POLYCHLORINATED-BIPHENYLS AND MERCURY

This article documents the exposure to environmental contaminants with in sub- groups 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 fro m the umbilical cords of newborns in various Aboriginal communities, i n a coastal community and in the general population. Average concentra tions of Aroclor 1260 ranged between 0.3 and 2.0 mu g/L and were clear ly 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 chat exceed the threshold beyond which cognitive impairments are I expected to result. Average concentrations of mercu ry ranged between 1.0 and 14.2 mu g/L; the Inuit of Nunavik and the NW T exhibited the highest exposure levels. A portion of the Nunwik and N WT Inuit had concentrations beyond the critical threshold for the appe arance of neurological consequences. The variations in exposure levels resulted from the different nutritional practices of these Canadian s ub-groups.