Sampling criteria for identifying human biomonitoring chemical differences in the Canadian Arctic

• Published in: International Journal of Circumpolar Health
• Main Authors: Meredith S. Curren, Karelyn Davis, Jay Van Oostdam
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2014
• Subjects: Arctic; Inuit; human biomonitoring; persistent organic pollutants; mercury; Canada; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Nunavut; Northwest Territories; Circumpolar Health; International Journal of Circumpolar Health; inuit
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v73.23467; https://doaj.org/article/88a07a4f6df04aa899dcfad9c7234202

Human biomonitoring studies in the Canadian Arctic have measured a wide range of metals and persistent organic pollutants in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal mothers during two time periods in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. This analysis provides preliminary estimates on sample sizes and sampling frequencies required to measure significant changes in maternal blood concentrations for PCB 153 and total mercury. For example, sample sizes of 35–40 mothers permit the detection of a 40% decrease in these chemical concentrations between two groups (e.g. communities or regions). Improvements in method sensitivity can be achieved by on-going sampling over multiple time periods (e.g. 4 or 5) in these regions, or increasing sample sizes.