Testing of Pregnant Women and Children in Sydney to Begin Next Week

HEALTH--Testing of Pregnant Women and Children in Sydney to Begin Next Week

Lead and arsenic testing for pregnant women and young children living around the Sydney coke ovens and tar ponds will begin on Tuesday, June 12.

The Cape Breton District Health Authority, in collaboration with the Nova Scotia Department of Health, will first offer this voluntary testing to pregnant women and children ages one to five years living in the neighbourhoods of Whitney Pier, the North End and Ashby (Welton and Prince Streets and neighbourhoods north of these streets).

Results of environmental testing in the area north of the coke ovens (NOCO), released in April, showed elevated levels of contaminants, and in particular lead and arsenic, in the soil.

"We need to determine by testing if people in the community have elevated levels of lead or arsenic in their bodies," said Dr. Jeff Scott, the province’s Medical Officer of Health. "Young children and pregnant women are our priority, since they are at greater risk."

Following testing of pregnant women and children, the same testing will be offered to every person living on Tupper Street, Laurier Street, Hankard Street, William Street, Frederick Street and Curry’s Lane, and parts of Lingan Road, the area encompassed by the NOCO study.

Public health nurses and medical laboratory technologists with the Cape Breton District Health Authority will coordinate the collection of blood and urine specimens at clinics being set up in accessible community locations. The specimens will be handled under a strict set of standards, secured and then transported directly to the London Health Sciences Centre in London, Ontario, for analysis. The laboratory, which has a worldwide reputation for this type of analysis, also has the capacity to handle a large volume of tests in a relatively short time.

Dr. Ron Brecher, with GlobalTox International Consultants Incorporated, says this type of testing is recognized by many, including Health Canada and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), as a useful indicator of exposure. Brecher is one of 30 toxicologists in Canada certified by the American Toxicologists Association, and has acted in an advisory role on the testing program.

He said the testing is important to inform people and at the same time give public health officials an overall picture of exposure in the community.

"Public health officials need to know if there is exposure happening today," said Brecher. "These tests won’t answer every question, but they will tell us if there has been recent exposure to lead and arsenic, which is a good indication of ongoing exposure."

Participation in the testing program is voluntary. Individuals will receive their results and an explanation in the form of a personal letter as soon as they are available, hopefully within two weeks of testing. With permission, the results will also be shared with their family doctor.

For findings of concern, individuals will be contacted personally. There will also be immediate follow-up investigation, which would include consulting with their family doctor and conducting environmental sampling on their property.

All information on personal test results will be kept confidential between the individual and Public Health Services in the district. The Medical Officer of Health will receive the results to determine whether immediate public health intervention is required and to produce a summary report. This report will contribute to the risk assessment process being carried out through Health Canada’s environmental sampling program.

The telephone number for residents to call to set up a clinic appointment or to ask questions will be advertised, and public health staff in the district will begin taking calls on Wednesday, June 6.

kjd 5 June 2001 3:17 P.M.