Organochlorine Pesticide Analysis in Old Crow Traditional Foods

A contaminant biomonitoring project was conducted in Old Crow, YT in 2018-2020. Blood levels of hexachlorobenzene (HCB), an organochlorine pesticide, were found at higher concentrations in people in Old Crow than in the general Canadian population and First Nations communities across the ten provinces. Based on feedback from the community after the return of biomonitoring results, this project has been designed with two primary aims: 1) to generate current, regional data on HCB and other organochlorine pesticide levels in commonly eaten traditional foods in Old Crow; 2) to identify possible sources of HCB exposure using the dietary surveys conducted in 2019. Generally, there is very little current data analyzing HCB or other organochlorine pesticides in traditional foods in northern Canada, and particularly in the Yukon. This work would help address the current data gap in Old Crow and help establish temporal trends of HCB and other organochlorine pesticide levels in Yukon biota. Current and regionally specific data on contaminants in country foods are important for identifying sources of contaminant and nutrient exposure and developing appropriate public health messages.