Nituuchischaayihtitaau Aschii Waskaganish Popular for the Report Cree Nation of ecr Areet ewe te re ad Hydro- and Crees the communities. willvisitall9Iiyiyiu Québec. It between Agreement Mercury 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. eating askedfiveproject questions: of risks. benefits the outweigh the food whether traditional know to need We from animalsto thehumans. with harmful chemicals. Also, some diseases can be passed contaminated be may animals and fish some days, these in theenvironment. people’s contaminants the between and eat, they links food of kinds the the health, study to project a is Aschii well-being. their to tied closely theProject About h poet s udd y ikmo udr h 2001 the under Niskamoon by funded is project The ay f h taiinl iii fos r haty but, healthy are foods Iiyiyiu traditional the of Many are animals and water, land, the that know Iiyiyiuch 2008 2009 contaminants? that might belinkedto theirfood choices andto General Health: from animals? Zoonoses: people’s bodies? Contaminants: Physical Activity people gettingfrom traditional foods? Aschii?people eating inIiyiyiu What nutrientsare Nutrition: 2007 2007 2007 How many people have caught infections offoodWhat are kinds offoods are (2002) What contaminants are found in Do peoplehave Do healthproblems : Are lives? peopleleadingactive 2009 (2002) 2005 Nituuchischaayihtitaau To find out, the out, find To umr ap ognzd n olbrto wt the intheeducational activities! took part Over 300kids with collaboration in PlaceGathering and Recreation Department. organized Camp, Summer high schoolandthelocaldaycares. Annie school,at held Whiskeychanelementary Wiinibekuu pursue science andhealthcareers to Aschii Iiyiyiu in people young encourage to is activities. goal on The hands excitingfun, throughscience Educational Activities Recycled paper workhosp withgrade paper Recycled 4students. Community Participation questionnaires andactivities. abouttheirhealth,nutrition answered and pressure, blood and weight their check to tests clinical did also They contaminants. for tested be to in thestudy. participated elders, and adults children, babies, including wny is lo ok at n we-og Science week-long a in part took also kids Twenty were nutrition and recycling science, about Workshops make to aims component educational project’s The Participants gave samples of their hair, nails and blood and nails hair, their of samples gave Participants people, 176 and 2008 June in visited was Waskaganish benefits of eating traditional food outweigh the risks! food outweigh traditional eating of benefits The content. sugar and fat high with food et mark to compared choice healthy a remains food Traditional problems health than contamination. bigger are activity physical lacking ourhealth. could impact that levels reach not do they that sure people’smake to bodies in and environment the in contaminants of levels the checking keep to important is it Therefore, hydro will project continue the environment.to impact Waskaganish rightnow. in concern health major a not is this but bodies, their Conclusions For contact: moreinformation, 9 9 9 9 9 E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 514-861-2352 Cree of James BayBoard of Health and Services Social Public HealthDepartment Laura Atikessé h pirte fr elh rmto in promotion health for Waskaganish are: priorities The

en oewih, aig nelh fo, and food, unhealthy eating overweight, Being However,River Ruper the like developmentprojects in contaminants of traces some have do People Be active by walking, doing physical work, physical doing walking, by active Be ep aig rdtoa fos s hy are they as foods traditional eating Keep high with foods store-bought on back Cut and fruits like vitamins in high foods Eat Do notsmoke healthy fat andsugar vegetables and playing sports. 1. Nutrition 2. Physical Activity In Waskaganish, the study found two women and one 5. General Health child had slightly high levels of lead in their blood. They Traditional foods such as game, fish, fowl In Waskaganish, the study found encouraging links were seen by a doctor or nurse to try and determine the Some health problems are linked to people’s eating and berries are healthy. They are low in fat between physical activity (especially walking) and better source of the contaminant. Some possible sources of lead habits and contaminants. These include thyroid and high in some vitamins and minerals weight. Other studies have established that doing regular are lead shot and kinds of old paint. problems, heart disease and diabetes. that help protect against illness. Moose, physical activity lowers the risk of heart disease, diabetes, Risk Factors for Heart Disease goose, rabbit, beaver and ptarmigan are the and other health problems. Another contaminant that is cause for concern is most common traditional foods eaten in Cadmium, a chemical that affects kidney health. The Weight Waskaganish. On average, people eat each people with high Cadmium levels were mostly smokers • 72% of participants were of these foods at least once a month. under 40 years of age. This suggests that cigarettes, and overweight. not traditional food, are the main source of Cadmium in • 42% can be considered obese. Waskaganish. • People in Waskaganish are less overweight than Finally, the study found that people in Waskaganish people in Mistissini, Eastmain and Wemindji. had very low levels of PCBs and pesticides. However, 2 people over the age of 40 received a follow up for these Blood pressure contaminants. • 16% had high blood pressure. Cholesterol and fats • 29% of the participants had low levels of “good” High-Density cholesterol. People who walk a lot tend to be less overweight • 20% had high triglycerides, another unhealthy fat. 3. Contaminants Carotid artery thickness • This was measured with a neck ultrasound As in other Iiyiyiu communities, people Contaminants are chemicals like mercury and pesticides over 40 years of age eat traditional foods that can be harmful to our health. • Overall, men and women had healthy arteries. more often than people aged 18-39, and Some contaminants are released into the environment • Women tended to have more buildup inside their children eat the least amount of traditional by industries in the South and carried north by the wind arteries than men. This is different from the Southern food. and rain. Mercury is present naturally in the soil, but population, and further analysis is required. People in Waskaganish get enough developments such as hydroelectric dams and forestry Diabetes protein and carbohydrates in their diets. cause mercury to move from the soil into lakes and • 9% of participants had fasting blood sugar levels However, most people tend to eat too much rivers, where it is absorbed by plants and tiny animals. that indicate undiagnosed or improperly managed fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol Contaminants travel up the food chain and accumulate in Traditional foods such as game, fish, and berries are healthy. diabetes. Another 13% are considered at risk for the fish and animals that we eat. People eat more than the number of 4. Zoonoses diabetes. Our bodies can tolerate a small amount of contaminants, servings of meat recommended by the • The rate of diabetes is Waskaganish is more than but too much is toxic to our health. Babies, children and Zoonoses are bacteria, germs and viruses that people can Canadian food guide. Therefore they get double what it is in the rest of Canada. However, pregnant women are especially vulnerable. The project catch from animals. Hunters and trappers who come into plenty of zinc and iron. However, people eat it is slightly lower than in Mistissini, Eastmain and tested for Mercury, Lead, Cadmium, Selenium, PCBs and contact with wild animals may be at risk. When we come fewer fruits, vegetables, and milk products Wemindji. other Organic Contaminants, such as pesticides and fire into contact with zoonoses, our bodies make antibodies to than recommended. This leads to low levels retardants fight infection. These antibodies stay in our blood for years • To reduce chances of getting diabetes and heart of calcium, magnesium and some vitamins and can be detected with a blood test. disease, people need to eat less foods high Fortunately, most people in Waskaganish have only Men, Women, and Children get about 10% in cholesterol, fat, and sugar, and to be more small amounts of these chemicals in their blood. Older The study found some traces of past infection by of their daily calories from drinking pop and active. people who have eaten a lot of fish and game in their zoonoses, but nobody was currently infected. Often these other sweet drinks (not including fruit juice). lifetime tend to have higher levels of Mercury, Lead and infections have very few symptoms.. Fragile Bones The extra calories and sugar contribute to other contaminants, but not enough to be dangerous to Osteoporosis, or fragile bones, mostly affects older being overweight and can lead to diseases A local group like the CTA could tell hunters and trappers their health. In fact, the mercury levels detected in Iiyiyiu women. The study used ultrasound to measure the bone like diabetes. what symptoms to look out for. Health care workers should Aschii are lower than they were in the 1970s. also be informed about the symptoms of these illnesses strength of women over the age of 35 in Waskaganish. Compared to women in Quebec City, women in Hightlights of Findings Waskaganish have a low risk of breaking a bone.