Key environmental human health issues in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River basins

Journal Article · Mon Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1999 · Environmental Research

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1006/enrs.1998.3938· OSTI ID:355597

Johnson, B L; Hicks, H E; Rosa, C.T. De ^[1]

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1. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, GA (United States). Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

In May 1997, an international conference on the effects of the environment on human health in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River basins, was held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. This was the third international conference on this topic sponsored by agencies in the US and Canada. More than 120 platform and poster presentations were given by scientists of different disciplines from the Great lakes region and elsewhere. The presentations represented the most current research findings on the effects of the Great lakes environment on human health. The reports covered environmental contaminant levels of persistent toxic substances (PTSs), routes and pathways of exposure, exposure assessment and human tissue levels of PTSs, human health outcomes, risk communication and assessment, and approaches to scientific collaboration. Reports indicate that levels of contaminants in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River basins have generally declined since the 1970s, although certain contaminants have hit a plateau or slightly increased. The findings include elevated body burden levels of contaminants in persons who consume large amounts of some Great Lakes sport fish, developmental deficits and neurologic problems in children of some fish-consuming parents, nervous system dysfunction in adults, and disturbances in reproductive parameters. The findings underscore the need for better public health intervention strategies.

• OSTI ID: 355597
• Report Number(s): CONF-9705313--
• Journal Information: Environmental Research, Journal Name: Environmental Research Journal Issue: 2Pt2 Vol. 80; ISSN ENVRAL; ISSN 0013-9351
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
APPLIED STUDIES
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
FISHES
FOOD CHAINS
GREAT LAKES
HEALTH HAZARDS
MAN
MEETINGS
TOXIC MATERIALS
WATER POLLUTION