![]() ![]() ![]() Sixty (n=60) persons were diagnosed with Minamata Disease, 54 with Minamata Disease with complications due to other diseases, and 25 with “suspicion of Minamata Disease”. The team revisited the communities in 20 and examined 175 individuals. Masazumi Harada and colleagues, showed a high prevalence of signs and symptoms, similar to those reported by patients with Minamata Disease. In 1975, neurological examinations of 89 residents from the two communities, carried out by Dr. Biomarker Hg concentrations from Grassy Narrows First Nation followed a similar pattern to Hg levels in local fish from the contaminated river system, with extremely high concentrations in the early 1970’s, a sharp decline until 1977 and a less pronounced decline until 1987, after which, mean concentrations remained relatively stable. Another program (1970–1992) assessed Hg concentrations in umbilical cord blood collected at the local hospital. Between 19, governmental agencies carried out biomonitoring programs in these communities to assess Hg concentrations in blood and hair. Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek (Grassy Narrows First Nation) and Wabaseemoong Independent Nation (previously known as Whitedog and Islington Bands), for whom walleye (Sander vitreus) is central to their traditions, culture, economy and health, were seriously affected by this disaster. In the 1960’s, a chloralkali plant discharged approximately 10,000 kg of mercury (Hg) into the Wabigoon-English River system in Northwestern Ontario, contaminating fish resources as far as 250 km downstream. ![]() Our findings provide evidence that in this First Nation community, past Hg exposure from fish consumption was associated with later-life clusters of coexisting symptoms of nervous system dysfunction. LMEM showed higher past hair Hg among those with higher scores for all clusters, except Affect/Mood disorders. For all clusters, a further association between past Hg exposure and symptom clusters was mediated by diagnosed nervous system disorders. Direct associations were observed for prenatal exposure with Affect/Mood disorders, for childhood exposure with Extrapyramidal impairment and Cranial nerve disturbances, and for hair Hg ≥ 5 μg/g with Extrapyramidal and Sensory impairment. In SEM, latent Hg was directly associated with Extrapyramidal and Sensory impairment, Cranial nerve disturbances and Affect/Mood disorders. More than one-third (36.6%) had hair Hg ≥ 5 μg/g at least once. Median Hg concentrations were 5 μg/L (1–78.5) and 1.1 μg/g (0.2–16) for umbilical cord and childhood hair, respectively. ResultsĪ total of 37 symptoms bonded into 6 clusters, representing Extrapyramidal impairment, Sensory impairment, Cranial nerve disturbances, Gross motor impairment, Neuro-cognitive deficits and Affect/Mood disorders. ![]() Longitudinal Mixed Effects Models (LMEM) served to examine past hair Hg with respect to clusters. Structural Equation Models (SEM) displayed the associations between Hg exposure and clusters, with Hg exposure modelled as a latent variable or in separate variables (prenatal, childhood and having had hair Hg ≥ 5 μg/g at least once over the sampling period). Umbilical cord Hg and/or yearly measurements of equivalent hair Hg were available for 242 participants. Symptom clustering used a two-step segmentation approach. The present study aimed to cluster self-reported symptoms and examine their associations with past Hg exposure. A recent Grassy Narrows Community Health Assessment (GN-CHA) survey included current symptoms of nervous system dysfunction. Biomarkers of Hg exposure (umbilical cord blood and hair/blood samples), monitored between 19, decreased over time. The watershed in Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek (Grassy Narrows First Nation) territory has been contaminated by mercury (Hg) since 1962, resulting in very high Hg concentrations in fish, central to the community’s culture, traditions, economy and diet. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |