Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Subsistence Hunting and Associated Activities of Native North Americans in Remote Communities: Measurement of Indoor Air Quality in Tents as Related to Wood-Smoke Exposures, and the Identification of Potential Health Risks
EPA Grant Number: R835605Title: Subsistence Hunting and Associated Activities of Native North Americans in Remote Communities: Measurement of Indoor Air Quality in Tents as Related to Wood-Smoke Exposures, and the Identification of Potential Health Risks
Investigators: Peltier, Richard E , Tsuji, Leonard J , Liberda, Eric N
Institution: University of Massachusetts - Amherst , Ryerson University , University of Toronto
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: May 1, 2014 through April 30, 2017 (Extended to April 30, 2018)
Project Amount: $700,000
RFA: Science for Sustainable and Healthy Tribes (2013) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Tribal Environmental Health Research , Human Health
Objective:
The objectives of this research are as follows: i) to measure indoor air quality in tents used for subsistence hunting activities by characterizing wood-smoke, aerosol components; ii) to determine the resultant biological effects associated with exposure to wood-smoke aerosol components; and iii) to provide recommendations for system improvements based on intervention strategies in a population of Native North American hunters living in subarctic North America. This population, like many Indigenous populations across North America, emphasize these activities as essential to their culture, yet the concomitant health risk with participation is, as yet, unknown. Identifying activities most responsible for elevating health risks in susceptible populations can be leveraged to improve their conditions and allow continued practice of an important Tribal activity.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
There were two main deployments of research studies (each with a number of phases) executed within this project:
- A preliminary sampling analysis of wood smoking activities (Phase 1A), simulated locally within the communities using traditional tribal practices. This occurred within Fort Albany itself, and not in the remote hunting locations, with sampling conducted in October 2014.
- A personal monitoring campaign, where individual participants were outfitted with portable monitors to assess their exposure in remote locations. This campaign (Phase 1B) was conducted in the spring hunting season of 2015. Central monitors using the same equipment as the personal monitoring were also deployed.
- A personal monitoring campaign where individuals were personally monitored while actively conducting food preservation smoking activities (Phase 1C). This campaign occurred after the annual hunt (July 2015) and within the remote community of Fort Albany.
- An intervention study (April 2016) where monitors were deployed to remote hunting camps, and a variety of intervention techniques were attempted in order to reduce exposure to indoor contaminants (Phase 2A). This included collection of biological samples and specific time points during the study.
- And a final study (Phase 2B) collecting biological samples from individuals who were participating in active food preservation smoking (or not, for a small number of controls). This study occurred in the Fort Albany community in August 2016.
Across the three broad measurement regimes (preservation smoking, hunting camps, and hunting camps with intervention), there is a clear log-log relationship between organic and elemental carbon (Figure 1, below). Of note is both the breadth of concentrations observed–stretching from roughly 5 µg/m3 to 500 µg/m3 organic carbon (OC) and 0.5 to 9 µg/µ3 elemental carbon (EC) across 24-hour integrated samples. Trial runs in a teepee under researcher control indicate the potential for much higher concentrations, but since these were trials (and not real exposures), they are not discussed much further.
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There are very limited upwind sources of PM in this location, as it is extremely remote, suggesting that these concentrations were entirely a result of the hunting and meat smoking. There is also a clear change in regression slope between the EC and OC relationship under hunting conditions and under meat smoking conditions, with a markedly different OC/EC slope under hunting conditions compared to meat smoking. Under hunting conditions, the OC/EC ratio was approximately 5, which is consistent with the literature on residential wood burning, though (as one would expect) higher than diesel and fresh urban emissions. Under meat smoking conditions, this ratio was significantly higher–on the order of 30–and suggests a much higher contribution of OC per unit EC during this activity, and may be a result of intentional wood burning conditions based on tribal knowledge and preferences for flavoring of the preserved meat. In all cases, OC and EC were tightly correlated with one another. This likely has important relevance for health because OC is highly complex, and has been shown to have clear health effects. The implementation of rudimentary interventions were also used to reduce concentrations during the hunting period. This included the use of spark arrestors (which allow for improved heating), inferring the use of less biomass burning, application of flue tape and cement to resolve stovepipe breaches, and the use of propane-based space heaters and cookstoves which was hypothesized to eliminate the use of required wood burning altogether. While the intervention phase was viewed with mixed success in terms of participant compliance, there is evidence that this can dramatically reduce some components of poor air quality, even if there is continued burning of traditional fuels. Mean concentrations of selected metals as observed in phases 1C (hunting, no intervention) and 2A (hunting, with intervention), and the data indicates a markedly reduced level of metals during the intervention, suggesting that these intervention strategies, even if viewed as having mixed success, did improve air quality within hunting camps.
Conclusions:
Overall, OC was reduced from a mean of 86.2 μg/m3 (phase 1C) to 7.16 μg/m3 (phase 2A), and EC was reduced from 4.85 μg/m3 to 1.71 μg/m3. A corresponding four-fold decrease in OC/EC ratio was also observed when interventions were applied. While there was unavoidable variability in site configuration in Phase 1C and 2A (new camps are set up each year, depending on migratory bird presence, access to sites, and other culturally-relevant factors), these data, on the whole, suggest that the use of interventions indeed improve air quality in the camps, and should be further explored.
Journal Articles on this Report : 1 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
Other project views: | All 9 publications | 1 publications in selected types | All 1 journal articles |
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Type | Citation | ||
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Liberda EN, Tsuji LJS, Peltier RE. Mining in subarctic Canada: airborne PM2.5 metal concentrations in two remote First Nations communities. Chemosphere 2015;139:452-460. |
R835605 (2016) R835605 (Final) |
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Supplemental Keywords:
health, scientific discipline, air, particulate matter, toxicology, air toxics, environmental chemistry, indoor air, ambient air quality, health effects, monitoring, risk assessment, sensitive populations, particulates, chemical exposure, interindividual variability, air pollutants, exposure and effects, ambient air monitoring, health risks, cardiopulmonary responses, indoor exposure, human health effects, ambient air, respiratory disease, exposure, pulmonary disease, ambient measurement methods, ambient monitoring, air pollution, particle exposure, human health risk assessment, human exposure, inhalation, pulmonary, ambient particle health effects, cardiopulmonary response, particulate exposure, inhaled, inhalation toxicology, human susceptibility, atmospheric monitoring, pm, human health, indoor air quality, inhaled particles, measurement methods, measurement methods, metals, respiratory, dosimetry, human health risk, tribal populations, environmental justiceProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.