Mercury uses in Canada and their possible hazards as sources of mercury contamination

Fimreite, Norvald

doi:10.1016/0013-9327(70)90012-1

Cited by 86 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The use of mercury compounds as agricultural seed dressings has had effects beyond those of soil contamination, with well-documented evidence of mercury accumulations and toxicity in avian and mammalian seed eaters, and avian predators of these herbivores (e.g. Tejning, 1967;Fimreite, 1970;Fimreite et al, 1970;lohnels et al, 1979). Of especial significance was the use of alkyl mercury compounds (such as methylmercury), since mercury present in this form is readily assimilated by animals from their foodstuffs.…”

Section: Inorganicsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Sources of Metal and Elemental Contamination of Terrestrial Environments

Freedman

Hutchinson

1981

Effect of Heavy Metal Pollution on Plants

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Section: Inorganicsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Sources of Metal and Elemental Contamination of Terrestrial Environments

Freedman

Hutchinson

1981

Effect of Heavy Metal Pollution on Plants

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“…The methylmercury contamination was so severe that an outbreak of Minamata disease (methylmecury poisoning) was diagnosed in these two First Nations communities (Harada et al 2005). Although the Ontario government issued a pollution control order in 1970 (the same year that mercury pollution associated with the pulp and paper industry was finally brought to the public's attention ;Fimreite 1970), mercury release into the river continued and the government did not enforce the control order (Suffling and Michalenko 1980). A compensation settlement was negotiated in the mid-1980s, but mercury poisoning had already occurred and symptoms still persist today (Harada et al 2011 respectful, invalidating or dismissive of their core belief system (Fletcher 2003, Asselin andBasile 2012), but as the ongoing perpetration of the colonial relationship between the Canadian government and First Nations-an expression of the unequal power relationship where all knowledge must conform to what is accepted under the western materialistic worldview (Nadasdy 2003).…”

Section: Imposition Of the Primacy Of The Western Materialistic Worldmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding First Nations rights and perspectives on the use of herbicides in forestry: A case study from northeastern Ontario

Kayahara

Armstrong

2015

The Forestry Chronicle

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This article provides forestry professionals with an improved understanding of why First Nations are opposed to the use of chemical herbicides for silvicultural purposes on their traditional lands, based on a case study in northeastern Ontario. Results were generated using a modified form of a focus group approach. First Nations opposition to herbicide use involved not only concerns over human and environmental health (concerns common among the general public) but also spanned from treaty rights, mistrust, and respect issues to herbicide use being incongruent with traditional First Nations worldviews. The results illustrate that the science-education approach typically used to address public opposition to herbicides is neither adequate nor appropriate for addressing First Nations concerns. Instead, a more in-depth engagement and approach, centred on genuine respect for First Nations rights, culture and history, is needed to arrive at solutions that are consistent with each First Nation community's values and terms.Key words: First Nations, Aboriginal, Indigenous, traditional ecological knowledge, herbicides, forestry, perceptions, risk, worldviews, vegetation management, silviculture, boreal forest RÉSUMÉCet article permet aux forestiers professionnels de mieux comprendre pourquoi les Premières Nations s' opposent à l'utilisation des herbicides à des fins sylvicoles sur leurs terres ancestrales en s'appuyant sur une étude effectuée dans le nord-est de l'Ontario. Ces résultats ont été obtenus à l'aide d'une forme modifiée de groupes de discussion. L' opposition des Premières Nations à l'utilisation des herbicides ne résulte pas que de leur préoccupation pour la santé humaine et celle de l' environnement, qu'ils partagent d'ailleurs avec le public en général; elle repose aussi sur les droits définis par Traité, la méfiance, une question de respect et même sur le fait que l'utilisation d'herbicides va à l' encontre de la vision traditionnelle que les Premières Nations ont sur le monde. Les résultats montrent que l'approche par l' éducation scientifique que l' on adopte souvent pour contrer l' opposition publique aux herbicides n' est ni adéquate ni suffisante pour prendre en compte les préoccupations des Premières Nations. Il faut au contraire une démarche plus approfondie fondée sur un véritable respect des droits, de la culture et de l'histoire des Premières Nations pour trouver des solutions adaptées aux valeurs et aux conditions propres à chaque communauté des Premières Nations.

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“…Several industries in the Great Lakes basin were discharging mercury into the environment in the 1960s causing elevated concentrations of mercury in Great Lakes fish (Mohapatra et al 2007;Pirrone et al 1998;IJC 1978;Fimreite et al 1971;Fimreite 1970). This resulted in the closure of the commercial fishery from the St. Clair River to western Lake Erie (U.S. National Research Council Panel on Mercury 1978).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Great Lakes fish consumption advisories: is mercury a concern?

et al. 2011

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The majority of the restrictive fish consumption advisories for the Canadian waters of the Great Lakes issued by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Canada based on the most restrictive contaminant, are attributed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins/furans. Mercury currently causes about <1-2.5% and 9-16% of the restrictive advisories for the general population (GP) and sensitive population of children under 15 and women of child-bearing age (SP), respectively (the St. Lawrence River is not considered here). Toxaphene causes minor restrictions. At present it is not clear that if PCBs and dioxins/furans were to decrease below their fish consumption advisory guidelines, current fish mercury levels would replace some, most or all of the consumption restrictions. In order to examine this, location-, species- and size-specific fish consumption advisories were calculated for a "mercury only" scenario by disregarding the presence of the other contaminants. In the absence of other contaminants, mercury would replace some of the current advisories caused by other contaminants; however, the overall advisories would be minimally to moderately restrictive (<1-7% for GP; 13-32% for SP). Almost half of the Great Lake blocks considered here would have more than double the unrestricted consumption advisories than they currently have, with Lake Ontario showing the greatest improvement. Certain size ranges of each species across the main basins of the Canadian waters of the Great Lakes would be deemed safe for unrestricted consumption. However, at least some sizes of a number of species from certain locations of each lake would still have "do not eat" advisories issued for the SP, although these restrictions would be minimal for Lake Erie. These results suggest that the current mercury levels in the Canadian Great Lakes fish are of very minor concern for the GP and of moderate concern for the SP.

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Mercury uses in Canada and their possible hazards as sources of mercury contamination

Cited by 86 publications

References 9 publications

Sources of Metal and Elemental Contamination of Terrestrial Environments

Sources of Metal and Elemental Contamination of Terrestrial Environments

Understanding First Nations rights and perspectives on the use of herbicides in forestry: A case study from northeastern Ontario

Great Lakes fish consumption advisories: is mercury a concern?

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