Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Gwich'in Settlement Area
Tags: contaminants, climate change, marine ecosystem, country food, health risk assessment
| Principal Investigator: | Wallace, Elizabeth (1) |
| Licence Number: | 17117 |
| Organization: | University of Ottawa |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2022
|
| Issued: | Aug 23, 2022 |
Objective(s): To estimate potential future perfluorooctane sulfonate concentrations in marine country foods under two climate change scenarios, and to determine dietary exposure estimates and hazard indices based on potential future concentrations and dietary intake data.
Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No.5313. The objectives of this study are to estimate potential future Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) concentrations in marine country foods under two climate change scenarios, and to determine dietary exposure estimates and hazard indices based on potential future concentrations and dietary intake data. The longer-term objective is to provide information on future impacts of climate change on contaminants in country foods to enable communities to make informed health decisions and climate change adaptation plans. The research team will use the marine ecological modelling software Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) and module Ecotracer to trace PFOS through the Beaufort Sea Shelf food web under two different climate change scenarios. This model uses mass balance principles to trace contaminants through the food web for a specified time period. The empirical data to build this model will come from published literature. The model will provide an estimate of possible future PFOS concentrations in key species in the food web under the two climate change scenarios. The team will then determine potential future dietary exposure estimates for PFOS using dietary intake information reported from the International Polar Year Inuit Health Survey for the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. Using the dietary exposure estimates, a preliminary health risk assessment will be conducted based on a Health Canada's tolerable daily intake levels for PFOS. Results will be validated by local knowledge holders. This project will be entirely secondary data analysis; no sample collection, interviews, or other primary data collection and analysis will be conducted. The expected outcomes of the study will be estimates of the potential future levels of PFOS in key marine species, and potential future dietary exposures and health risk under different climate change scenarios. Communication with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC) was initiated in May 2022 to receive feedback on the proposed project and will continue to engage with other stakeholders through summer 2022. A communications plan will be developed with the communities and organizations who will validate results, and with other researchers working on similar projects in the region. Sharing of results will take place during an in-person or virtual workshop or presentation to communities and organizations. A summary of results will also be prepared for IRC and final thesis and/or publications made available. It is expected that this project will be completed by the fall of 2023. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from September 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022
