Arsenic Biomonitoring in the Human Population of Yellowknife, Dettah and Ndilo, Northwest Territories: Application of Urine and Toenail Arsenic Biomarkers ...

Arsenic is a natural but toxic element considered by the World Health Organization to be a chemical of major public health concern globally. Biomarkers are a tool used to understand exposure to chemicals (e.g., arsenic) and their impacts on the health of a population. In Yellowknife, past mining act...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Cheung, Janet
Format: Text
Language:unknown
Published: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://dx.doi.org/10.20381/ruor-29041
http://ruor.uottawa.ca/handle/10393/44835
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Summary:Arsenic is a natural but toxic element considered by the World Health Organization to be a chemical of major public health concern globally. Biomarkers are a tool used to understand exposure to chemicals (e.g., arsenic) and their impacts on the health of a population. In Yellowknife, past mining activities have resulted in a toxic legacy of arsenic impacting the surrounding environment. However, current human exposure levels in the area are largely unknown. In this thesis, I demonstrate how different biomarkers can be used to evaluate arsenic exposure and associated health effects in the human population of Yellowknife and the First Nation communities of Dettah and Ndilo. First, I established baseline levels of arsenic exposure within the Yellowknife population by measuring urinary arsenic concentrations via speciation analysis. I also used general guidance values for urinary arsenic to assess arsenic exposure and health risks in Yellowknife compared to the general Canadian population. Children in ...