EVALUATION OF THE POPULATION-DISTRIBUTION OF DIETARY CONTAMINANT EXPOSURE IN AN ARCTIC POPULATION USING MONTE-CARLO STATISTICS

Organochlorines and heavy metals have bioaccumulated in Arctic wildlif e, which is an important food source for the Inuit. In this study, we have developed a statistical model to describe the population distribu tion of contaminant exposure and the usual intake of the high-end cont aminant consumers. Monte Carlo methods are used to account for variati ons due to seasonal dietary pattern and contaminant concentrations. Di stribution of the dietary intake of the contaminants of most concern-m ercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlordane, and toxaphenes-ar e described. Over 50% of the residents had dietary exposure levels exc eeding the tolerable daily intake or provisional tolerable daily intak e for Hg, toxaphene, and chlordane (83, 91, and 71% for men and 73, 85 , and 56% for women, respectively). The high-end consumers (i.e. the 9 5th centile) have intake levels 6 times higher than the provisional to lerable weekly intake of Hg, and over 20 times the tolerable daily int ake of chlordane and toxaphene. Assessment of heath risks of the relat ive high contaminant exposure in this community must also consider the nutritional, economical, cultural, and social importance of these tra ditional foods. A comprehensive risk management scheme has yet to be d eveloped.