Balancing the benefits and costs of traditional food substitution by indigenous Arctic women of childbearing age: Impacts on persistent organic pollutant, mercury, and nutrient intakes. (September 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Binnington, Matthew J.; Curren, Meredith S.; Chan, Hing Man; Wania, Frank
• Is Part Of: Environment international. Volume 94(2016:Sep.)
• Page Start: 554
• Page End: 566
• Publication Date: 2016-09
• Subjects: AI adequate intake -- ANSES Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement, et du travail -- CA childbearing age -- CNF Canadian Nutrient File -- DHA docosahexaenoic acid -- EPA eicosapentaenoic acid -- FFQ food frequency questionnaire -- HC Health Canada -- IF imported food -- IHS Inuit Health Survey -- MM marine mammal -- POP persistent organic pollutant -- PUFA polyunsaturated fatty acid -- PCB polychlorinated biphenyl -- RDA recommended daily allowance -- TF traditional food -- UBA Umweltbundesamt -- UL tolerable upper intake levels -- WCBA women of childbearing age -- WHO World Health Organization; Persistent organic pollutants -- Mechanistic models -- Arctic environment -- Indigenous populations -- Traditional foods -- Dietary substitution; Environmental protection -- Periodicals; Environmental health -- Periodicals; Environmental monitoring -- Periodicals; Environmental Monitoring -- Periodicals; Environnement -- Protection -- Périodiques; Hygiène du milieu -- Périodiques; Environnement -- Surveillance -- Périodiques; Environmental health; Environmental monitoring; Environmental protection; Periodicals; 333.705
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2016.06.016
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0160-4120

Abstract

Abstract: For indigenous Arctic Canadians, traditional food consumption represents a key source of nutrients and environmental contaminants. Particularly, ingestion of marine mammal blubber and meat may lead to persistent organic pollutant levels and mercury intakes that exceed regulatory thresholds for sensitive populations. We investigated whether temporary adjustments to the consumption of traditional food derived from marine mammals appreciably impacted contaminant exposure and nutrient intakes among indigenous women of childbearing age. Such adjustments can be motivated by the desire to lower contaminant exposure or to increase nutrition, or by the diminishing availability of other traditional food sources. We combined the contaminant fate and transport model GloboPOP with the food chain bioaccumulation model ACC-Human Arctic to simulate polychlorinated biphenyl exposures in female 2007–08 Inuit Health Survey participants. We also calculated daily mercury and nutrient intake rates. Our results suggest that a temporary decrease in marine mammal consumption is largely ineffective at reducing exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls, because of their long elimination half-lives. In contrast, substitution of marine mammals was highly efficient at reducing mercury intake, but also appreciably lowered intakes of iron, manganese, selenium, and ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. The impact of increasing intake of traditional food derived from marine mammals during childbearing age greatly depended on baseline consumption rates; replacement is ill-advised for those who already consume a lot of traditional food due to greater polychlorinated biphenyl and mercury exposures, while replacement was potentially beneficial for those with very limited marine mammal consumption due to increased nutrient intakes. Our calculations primarily suggest that considering baseline traditional food intake rates is critical to devising reproductive dietary adjustment strategies that maximize nutrient intake while minimizing environmental contaminant exposure. Graphical abstract: Highlights: Arctic dietary dilemma derives from balancing nutrient and contaminant intakes from marine mammal traditional foods Temporarily replacing marine mammal ingestion decreases certain nutrient intakes, while not effectively reducing PCB exposure Baseline marine mammal intakes govern whether added consumption during childbearing age to enhance nutrition is advisable