Contaminants in Nunavut

Contaminants and the health of Inuit in Nunavut • Contaminants can be absorbed through the skin, by eating and drinking foods or beverages containing contaminants or by inhaling contaminated air • It is very difficult to determine the impacts of contaminants on Inuit because the majority of health research is done on Southern, non-aboriginal populations; healthy weights and risks factors need to b [...] Contaminants and Environmental Health Relationship between the health of Nunavut’s environment and Inuit • Southerners rely on economic opportunities, whereas Inuit rely on the land; Inuit have traditionally survived off the land, not off money • Economic and financial drives are threatening traditional ways; there is a need to preserve and pass on the knowledge of Elders in order to preserve our [...] Contaminants and the health of Nunavut’s environment and wildlife • Given the levels of contaminants found so far in Nunavut’s wildlife, it is very unlikely that unhealthy animals are sick because of contaminants • Abnormalities tell Inuit hunters and seamstresses that something’s not right with an animal, although contaminants are not necessarily the source of the problem • Skinny animals used to [...] Local action on contaminants • Need to consider the contaminants that we put into our environment ourselves, not just the contaminants reaching Nunavut through air and ocean currents • Need to teach schoolchildren now about contaminants and recycling so that actions to help reduce contaminants can become a routine for them • Can be effective by communicating and raising the awareness of Northern l [...] Looking Ahead Inuit perspectives on contaminants not entirely taken into account by research • On the land, Inuit are always attentive to the health of the environment and wildlife; HTOs need to be considered as sources of expertise and insight for researchers • Because Inuit culture is connected to wildlife and seasonal cycles, country food consumption varies both throughout the year and across t