Environmental health

In the autumn of 2007, the Association des victimes de l'amiante du Québec (AVAQ – a Québec association for asbestos victims) and the Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement et des Parcs du Québec (MDDEP – Québec ministry of sustainable development, the environment and parks) published studies on the asbestos concentrations measured in indoor and outdoor air in Thetford Mines. The findings motivated the public health authorities in Chaudière-Appalaches and Estrie to request the assistance of the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ – Québec institute of public health) to conduct an assessment of the risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma of the pleura in this population.

Asbestos is divided into two families: amphiboles (crocidolite, amosite, tremolite, actinolite and anthophyllite) and serpentines (chrysotile). The three main diseases associated asbestos exposure are asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma of the pleu…

This risk assessment was undertaken at the request of Dr. Louise Soulière, director of public health and evaluation at the Agence de la santé et des services sociaux de l'Estrie.

The objective of this work is to assess whether workers in a warehouse of finished rubber products in the Eastern Townships are at risk of contracting cancer because of the presence of nitrosamines in the workplace ambient air and, in the case of a non-zero risk, to suggest a threshold limit not to be exceeded in order to make the risk negligible.

The methodology used involves estimating workers' exposure to nitrosamines in the warehouse; assessing the carcinogenic potential for humans of the main nitrosamine molecules found in that environment; estimating the dose-cancer excess relationship based on epidemiological studies published so far and estimating the cancer risk associated with such exposure. This will allow suggesting an occupational exposure limit aimed at preventing the type of c…

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), eleven of the hottest twelve years ever observed were recorded since 1995 and are attributable to rising levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. North American cities “that currently experience heat waves are expected to be further challenged by an increased number, intensity and duration of heat waves”.

In Québec, the hottest ten years of the century have been recorded since the 1980s (Natural Resources Canada, 2004). Forecasts indicate that average temperatures will continue to rise in the coming decades.

This observed and forecast constant increase in temperature will accentuate a problem with which we are already familiar: the urban heat island effect. This phenomenon is characterized by higher summer temperatures in urban environments than in surrounding rural areas. According to observations, this temperature difference, which is primarily attributable to the urban built environment, range…

One of the projected consequences of climate change (CC) is an increase in weather events or situations which until now have been rare, such as heavy precipitation or extended periods of drought. In this context, major infrastructure is likely to be affected by changes in the water regime, including the drinking water supply. Climatic variables that may affect volumes available for drinking water in a context of CC include rainfall and temperature. In the event of a significant change in rainfall resulting in a climate that is drier or more conducive to periods of drought, for example, drinking water production and distribution systems will be subject to unusual or exceptional constraints which they were not designed to handle. In addition, increased rainfall could affect the quality of raw water in the sites from which it is taken, raising the possibility of outbreaks of waterborne diseases.

These considerations show the importance of establishing and analyzing the current…

Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic bacteria that are naturally present in the earth’s fresh water and salt water ecosystems; they are not algae despite the fact that they are referred to as blue-green algae. For millions of years, these micro-organisms have been intimately associated with the development of life on the planet, since they helped enrich the earth’s atmosphere with oxygen. Through biosynthesis, they also produce several groups of substances including cyanotoxins. From an evolutionary viewpoint, cyanotoxins are believed to increase the competitive advantage of cyanobacteria, allowing them to dominate the aquatic environment in which they grow. The particular environmental problem created by cyanobacteria since the 1990s is the result of excessive proliferation in surface waters (ponds, lakes and streams), caused primarily by surpluses of nutrients such as nitrogen and especially phosphorus. In this context, drinking water facilities that are supplied with surface water co…

The Inuit of Nunavik are exposed to metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that are carried from southern to northern latitudes by oceanic and atmospheric transport and biomagnified in Arctic food webs. As the Inuit traditional diet comprises large amounts of tissues from marine mammals, fish and terrestrial wild game, the Inuit are more exposed to these contaminants than populations living in southern regions. Mercury and lead mainly affect the nervous system and can cause cognitive, behavioural and motor impairment in children and adults. The major health risk associated with cadmium is renal toxicity, whereas chronic exposure can also cause anemia, bone loss and cardiovascular disease. The objectives of this study, conducted within the framework of the Nunavik Inuit Health Survey 2004, were: 1) to investigate changes in environmental contaminant exposure among the Inuit of Nunavik by updating exposure assessment, and 2) to begin monitoring emerging environmental contamin…

The activities of hunting, fishing and collection of resources from the land and sea are of central importance to the health of Inuit in Nunavik. For approximately twenty years now, confidence in these resources and Inuit access to them have been threatened by reports of environmental contaminants in wildlife, social and economic trends influencing the time available to hunt and fish, and more recently, reports of climate change and variability and influences on the availability and accessibility of wildlife resources. This summary focuses on the information on these issues contained in the Nunavik Inuit Health Survey 2004.

Country foods, and the activities (hunting and fishing) to collect, distribute and prepare them for consumption, are still important aspects of everyday life in Nunavik communities today. They are important for their social and cultural value, formal and informal economic worth, and what they represent in terms of their contributions to physical, social a…

The Inuit of Nunavik are exposed to metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that are carried from southern to northern latitudes by oceanic and atmospheric transport and biomagnified in Arctic food webs. As the Inuit traditional diet comprises large amounts of tissues from marine mammals, fish and terrestrial wild game, the Inuit are more exposed to these contaminants than populations living in southern regions. The traditional suite of legacy POPs comprises polychlorinated dibenzo p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and chlorinated pesticides whereas emerging POPs include perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), halogenated phenolic compounds (HPCs) and brominated flame retardants such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Legacy POPs have been found to be neurotoxic, carcinogenic, hepatotoxic and have reproductive, endocrine and immunotoxic effects. Human health effects of emerging POPs are mostly unknown, but animal stud…

In Nunavik, common practices such as the consumption of untreated water and raw game may promote exposure to pathogenic agents responsible for zoonoses, infections that may be transmitted from animals to humans, as well as for food-borne and water-borne infections. As part of the 2004 Nunavik Inuit Health Survey, information was gathered to depict the supply of drinking water and to determine the prevalence of certain infections among the Inuit population, including gastroenteritis.

The results reveal that the region and socioeconomic characteristics (age, education and revenue) of the main respondents (n = 521) were associated with the supply of drinking water in households (source of drinking water, type of treatment used in the house and frequency of cleaning the domestic reservoir). Approximately one third of households draw their main water from a natural source and this practice is more common among respondents aged 50 and over, those with a lower level of education an…

The Québec Pesticide Risk Indicator, identified by the acronym QPRI, is a diagnostic and decision-making tool designed to optimize pesticide management. It has a health component (QPRI-Health) and an environment component (QPRI-Environment).

This tool was developed through a comparison of pesticide risk indicators found in scientific literature. The selection and definition of criteria for the indicator are the result of close collaboration among :

• le ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation (MAPAQ)
• le ministère du Développement durable,de l’Environnement et des Parcs (MDDEP)
• l’Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ)

Both versions (2001 and 2004) of the approach recommended by the Norwegian Minister of Agriculture served as models for developing the QPRI, particularly its environment component. The health component had to be created from new criteria established by INSPQ, as no co…