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E Dewailly

Publications and source records attributed to E Dewailly.

63 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Health hazards associated with windsurfing on polluted water.

We documented the risks associated with windsurfing on sewage polluted water. Seventy-nine windsurfers and 41 controls were studied over a nine-day period for occurrence of symptoms of gastroenteritis, otitis, conjunctivitis, and skin infection. Relative risks were 2.9 for occurrence of one or more of these symptoms and 5.5 for symptoms of gastroenteritis. Relative risk increased with the reported number of falls into the water.

Epidemiologic Methods↗
PubMedDate not supplied

PCBs and dioxin-like compounds in plasma of adult Inuit living in Nunavik (Arctic Quebec).

Inuit people residing in the Arctic are unusually exposed to organochlorines through their traditional diet which includes large quantities of sea mammal fat. Recently, 499 Inuit adults from Nunavik (Arctic Quebec) participated in a large health survey and donated a blood sample for organochlorine and heavy metal analysis. Twenty pooled plasma samples were formed, each made of individual samples from the same age group, sex, and region of residence, to allow for dioxin-like compound determination. The mean total concentration of PCBs and dioxin-like compounds (the latter expressed in 2,3,7,8-TCDD toxic equivalents) were respectively 4.1 mg/kg lipids and 184.2 ng/kg lipids, compared to 0.13 mg/kg lipids and 26.1 ng/kg lipids for three control pooled plasma samples from Southern Quebec. Total PCBs and dioxin-like compound concentrations were strongly correlated (r = 0.98; p < 0.0001), increased with age and were greater in men than in women. Although the body burdens of PCBs and dioxin-like compounds are close to those which induced adverse health effects in laboratory animals, dietary benefits from the sea-food based diet still outweigh the hypothetical health risks.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Exposure of the Inuit population of Nunavik (Arctic Quebec) to lead and mercury.

The authors conducted a survey during 1992 to evaluate blood levels of lead and mercury in Inuit adults of Nunavik (Arctic Quebec, Canada). Blood samples obtained from 492 participants (209 males and 283 females; mean age = 35 yr) were analyzed for lead and total mercury; mean (geometric) concentrations were 0.42 micromol/l (range = 0.04-2.28 micromol/l) and 79.6 nmol/l (range = 4-560 nmol/l), respectively. Concentrations of omega-3 fatty acid in plasma phospholipids--a biomarker of marine food consumption--were correlated with mercury (r = .56, p < .001) and, to a lesser extent, with blood lead levels (r = .31, p < .001). Analyses of variance further revealed that smoking, age, and consumption of waterfowl were associated with lead concentrations (r2 = .30, p < .001), whereas age and consumption of seal and beluga whale were related to total mercury levels (r2 = .30, p < .001). A significant proportion of reproductive-age women had lead and mercury concentrations that exceeded those that have been reportedly associated with subtle neurodevelopmental deficits in other populations.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Dioxin-like compounds in fishing people from the Lower North Shore of the St. Lawrence River, Quebec, Canada.

In this study, investigators assessed exposure to dioxin-like compounds in a fishing population that inhabits small coastal communities along the Lower North Shore of the St. Lawrence River, Quebec. This population relies heavily on wildlife foods for sustenance. Investigators analyzed chemically the most popular marine foods (i.e., fish, crustaceans, sea mammals, and sea-bird eggs), and they also obtained 25 human plasma samples from individuals in two villages along the river. The mean level of total polychlorinated biphenyls in this population was approximately twice that found in the entire fishing cohort. Plasma levels of dioxin-like compounds, expressed as tetrachlorodibenzodioxin toxic equivalents, were approximately eight times higher than levels in urban residents. Most of the increase in tetrachlorodibenzodioxin toxic equivalents in the selected fish eaters resulted primarily from an elevation in polychlorinated biphenyls. Concentrations of dioxin-like compounds from the Lower North Shore were low in fish and seals, but concentrations were elevated in the eggs of sea birds. Given that there was also a significant statistical correlation in the entire population between human plasma levels and consumption of birds' eggs-and not other traditional foods-much of the increased human dose appeared to originate from this one food source. Because there appear to be increased, but uncertain, health risks from this elevated body burden, investigators advised the residents of the area to avoid consumption of wild birds' eggs (i.e., a food source of minor nutritional importance).

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Lead, mercury, and organochlorine compound levels in cord blood in Québec, Canada.

We conducted this study to evaluate blood levels of lead, mercury, and organochlorine compounds in newborns in the Province of Quebec. During 1993 to 1995, we carried out a survey in 10 hospitals located in southern Quebec. During that time, umbilical cord blood samples were obtained from 1109 newborns, and we analyzed each for lead, mercury, 14 polychlorinated biphenyl congeners, and 11 chlorinated pesticides. We used the geometric mean and 95% confidence interval (CI) to describe the results. Mean concentrations of lead and mercury in cord blood were 0.076 micromol/l (95% CI = 0.074, 0.079) and 4.82 nmol/l (95% CI = 4.56, 5.08), respectively. The mean concentrations of total polychlorinated biphenyls (Aroclor 1260) and dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene were 0.514 microg/I (95% CI = .493, 0.536) and 0.412 microg/l (95% CI = 0.390, 0.435), respectively. We observed a statistically significant relationship between maternal age and cord blood concentrations of (a) lead, (b) mercury, (c) polychlorinated biphenyls, and (d) dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene. In addition, maternal smoking during pregnancy was associated with cord blood lead levels. The cord blood concentrations of lead, mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls, and dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene we measured in our study were the lowest levels recently reported in industrialized countries. The results of this study underline the role of public health authorities in the evaluation of biological levels of environmental contaminants among children for the assessment of risk of adverse health effects.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Anemia and iron status in Inuit infants from northern Quebec.

The iron status and diet of Inuit infants living in northern Quebec who were part of a prospective cohort study was described. The prevalence of anemia (hemoglobin values > 2 SD below the reference mean) was 21.1% (23/109), 47.4% (55/116) and 37.7% (46/122) at 2, 6 and 12 months, respectively. The corresponding prevalence of microcytic anemia was 0.0%, 4.3% and 21.3%. At 2, 6 and 12 months, iron-deficiency anemia (serum ferritin < 10 micrograms/L coupled with anemia) was present in 1.3% (1/79), 24.4% (21/86) and 26.3% (25/95) of infants, respectively. Compared with breastfeeding, the odds ratio for iron deficiency (serum ferritin < 10 micrograms/L) for bottle-feeding with cows' milk or low iron formula was 3.02 (95% CI 1.25-7.27) at 6 months and 3.05 (95% CI 1.28-7.28) at 12 months. This study shows iron-deficiency anemia to be a problem in Inuit infants as young as 6 months old. Breastfed infants were better protected against iron deficiency than infants fed cow's milk or low-iron formula.

Anemia, Iron-Deficiency↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prenatal exposure of Canadian children to polychlorinated biphenyls and mercury.

This article documents the exposure to environmental contaminants within sub-groups of the Canadian population who are considered to be at risk as a result of the food they eat. We measured the concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and mercury in the blood drawn from the umbilical cords of newborns in various Aboriginal communities, in a coastal community and in the general population. Average concentrations of Aroclor 1260 ranged between 0.3 and 2.0 micrograms/L and were clearly highest among the Inuit of Nunavik and Baffin Island and among the Montagnais of Quebec. In these groups, we found contaminant levels in the blood of newborns that exceed the threshold beyond which cognitive impairments are expected to result. Average concentrations of mercury ranged between 1.0 and 14.2 micrograms/L; the Inuit of Nunavik and the NWT exhibited the highest exposure levels. A portion of the Nunavik and NWT Inuit had concentrations beyond the critical threshold for the appearance of neurological consequences. The variations in exposure levels resulted from the different nutritional practices of these Canadian sub-groups.

American Indian or Alaska Native↗