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

• Main Author: Cheung, Janet
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa 2023
• Subjects: arsenic; human biomonitoring; biomarkers; environmental health; environmental toxicology; Dettah; Northwest Territories; Yellowknife
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.20381/ruor-29041; http://ruor.uottawa.ca/handle/10393/44835

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 ...