Human Health And Environmental Pollution In The Great Lakes

Reports on the human health effects of environmental pollution of the Great Lakes. Contents: biomarkers for priority contaminants: halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons; approaches to the evaluation of chemical-induced immunotoxicity; immunotoxicity of heavy metals; immunotoxicity of PCBs; immunological effects of chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins; pesticide-induced immunotoxicity; reproductive toxicology of Great Lakes contaminants; neurotoxicity of lead, methylmercury, & PCBs; radionuclides in the Great Lakes basin; & dermal exposure to environmental contaminants in the Great Lakes. Charts & tables.

In 1990, Congress amended the Great Lakes (GL) Critical Programs Act, also known as the Fed. Water Pollution Control Act, mandating that the EPA and the ATSDR and the GL states submit a research report assessing the harmful human health effects of water pollutants in the GL basin. ATSDR developed the GL Health Effects Research Strategy to identify human populations residing in the GL basin that may be at greater risk of exposure to chemical contaminants, and to help prevent any adverse health effects. This report provides insight into ATSDR efforts to assess the adverse effects of water pollutants in the GL system on the health of people in the GL states.

This report contains a detailed review of the literature on contaminants, exposure, and health effects of those contaminants in the Great Lakes basin. The report is based on a series of papers prepared for the Great Lakes Health Effects Program, and is supplemented by additional data from related studies. After an introduction on health concerns in the basin and an overview of priority contaminants (organochlorines, metals, radionuclides, microbes, and airborne contaminants), further sections of the review cover the following topics: adverse health effects of persistent environmental contaminants in fish and wildlife; biomarkers for exposure and health effects; human exposure to chemical contaminants and their health effects; reproductive and developmental effects; neurotoxicity; immunotoxic effects; cancer incidence in the basin; health effects associated with radionuclides; Great Lakes water quality and effects associated with microbial contaminants; air quality and associated respiratory health effects; and overall conclusions.

Chapters: historical overview; persistent toxic substances; pathways of exposure; a review of the Great Lakes (GL) human health literature; human health studies outside of the Great Lakes -- exposure to similar persistent toxic substances; limitations of human health studies; characterization of exposure and determination of the profiles and levels in human biologic tissues and fluids; identification of sensitive and specific human reproductive end points; determination of the short- and long-term risk(s) of adverse health effects in the children of exposed parents; and establishment of registries &/or surveillance cohorts in the GL. Illustrated.

Overall this report presents a multi-faceted message of interest to environmental health specialists, policy-makers and the 36 million Canadian and U.S. citizens who live in communities surrounding the Great Lakes. Researchers know more about environmental health issues in the region than they ever did. This report summarizes detailed research on a range of priority contaminants including PCBs, lead and mercury.