Quantifying the Effect of Transient and Permanent Dietary Transitions in the North on Human Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants and Mercury

The dietary transition from a traditional to an imported, market-based diet currently occurring in Canada's North can be problematic from a nutritional and cultural point of view. As contaminant-related dietary consumption advisories may influence food item choices and preparation methods, it is critical for these advisories to be based on the best available science and to strike a balance between the desires to reduce contaminant exposure and to maximize the nutritional and cultural value of food. The proposed work will allow for a quantitative assessment of the efficacy of such guidelines in reducing contaminant exposure. In fact, models of human dietary POP and mercury uptake/exposure, comprehensively evaluated with existing biomonitoring datasets, together with analytical consideration of food preparation impacts on contaminant bioavailability, may eventually be used to design dietary guidelines that are effective in reducing contaminant exposure, without compromising the consumption of nutritionally beneficial traditional food items.

当前加拿大北部正经历从传统饮食向进口市场化饮食的转型，该转型从营养与文化视角来看均存在潜在问题。由于与污染物相关的膳食消费建议可能会影响食物选择与制备方式，因此这类建议必须基于当前最可靠的科学依据，并在降低污染物暴露的需求与最大化食物的营养及文化价值之间寻求平衡，这一点至关重要。本研究拟对这类膳食指南在降低污染物暴露方面的有效性开展定量评估。事实上，结合现有生物监测（biomonitoring）数据集对人类膳食中持久性有机污染物（POP）与汞的摄入/暴露模型进行全面验证，并辅以分析食物制备方式对污染物生物可利用性（bioavailability）的影响，最终可用于制定既能有效降低污染物暴露，又不会削弱具有营养益处的传统食物消费的膳食指南。