WATER Sampling
Surface Water Collection
One of the components of the First Nation Food Nutrition and Environment Study (FNFNES) will be to address the presence of pharmaceuticals in surface water on First Nations reserves. The objectives of the pharmaceuticals component of the FNFNES will be:
- To establish a baseline of human pharmaceuticals occurrence in surface water on reserves in Canada
- To determine the exposure of fish and shell fish (staples in First Nations’ diet) to human pharmaceuticals in surface water on reserves in Canada
- To establish a pharmaceutical priority list for future health and environmental effects studies
The criteria used for the selection of pharmaceuticals were: 1) levels of detection of the pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment in previous studies 2) frequency of detection of the pharmaceuticals in the environment in previous studies 3) evidence of usage of the pharmaceuticals in First Nations communities.
Drinking Water Collection
Drinking water coming from the distribution system is regularly tested for trace metals. Nevertheless, trace metal contamination can also come from the household plumbing system and tap water could therefore contribute to total metal intake. There is a need to expand the current knowledge about the trace metal content of tap water in First Nations communities.
The Drinking Water Component of the First Nation Food Nutrition and Environment Study (FNFNES) will determine the levels of trace metals in tap water on First Nations reserves. The objectives are: – To determine levels of trace metals in drinking water in First Nation households on-reserve – To estimate intake of trace metals from drinking water – To estimate relative contribution of water to total trace metal intake