Grantee Research Project Results
2010 Progress Report: An Epidemiologic Study of Time Trends and Health Effects of Persistent Organic Pollutants, Mercury and Micronutrients
EPA Grant Number: R833705Title: An Epidemiologic Study of Time Trends and Health Effects of Persistent Organic Pollutants, Mercury and Micronutrients
Investigators: Berner, James E.
Institution: Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Project Period: June 1, 2009 through May 31, 2013 (Extended to May 31, 2015)
Project Period Covered by this Report: June 1, 2009 through May 31,2010
Project Amount: $948,121
RFA: Issues in Tribal Environmental Research and Health Promotion: Novel Approaches for Assessing and Managing Cumulative Risks and Impacts of Global Climate Change (2007) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Environmental Justice , Climate Change , Tribal Environmental Health Research , Human Health
Objective:
- Determine current maternal blood levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), heavy metals and micronutrients, and compare these levels to previous cohorts of pregnant women in 1999-2002, 2004-2006.
- Look for associations between levels of POPs, heavy metals and micronutrients and positive and negative health outcomes in mothers and infants.
- Measure blood pressure in children born to mothers recruited in 1999-2004 to determine any relationship of prenatal Hg exposure to childhood blood pressure.
- Measure tissue levels of POPs, heavy metals in Pacific salmon caught in the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers to look at time trends in the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean contaminant levels, by comparison with a study in 2001, possibly influenced by climate induced changes in Asian river flow.
Progress Summary:
- Creation of series of datasets covering the first two cohorts, 350 women. A master dataset in an Access spreadsheet will be developed.
- To simplify the search for relationships between POPs and health effects, especially gestational diabetes mellitus, multiple analyses were completed, and proxy compounds have been selected.
- To facilitate further progress in the data analysis, a collaborative relationship within the Health Studies Branch of CDC's NCEH has been developed and an EIS Officer is going to assist in this process.
Future Activities:
Year 3 will concentrate on cohort recruitment, data analysis, completing the paper and submitting it for publication, and analysis of salmon tissue. In June 2011, an additional intermittent RN recruiter, and an intermittent laboratory assistant were hired to increase the rate of recruitment, and make handling of specimens more efficient.
In addition, the first group of maternal charts will be abstracted, as will all the infant charts of infants who reach 12 months of age.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 54 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
micronutrients, salmon, gestational diabetes mellitus, persistent organic pollutants, heavy metalsRelevant Websites:
Community Environment and Safety: http://www.anthc.org/chs/ces/index.cfm Exit
Progress 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.