First Results of Lead, Arsenic Testing in Sydney Expected

The first results of lead and arsenic testing for pregnant women and children in Sydney neighbourhoods are expected by the end of this week or early next week, and will continue to come in over the next few weeks.

"We’ve had a good response to the testing," said Agatha Hopkins, director of public health services in the Cape Breton District. "About 200 people have taken the testing to get information about their own or their children’s health. We will have at least one more clinic this Thursday and I’d encourage anyone who is interested to give us a call."

Tests are now being analysed at the London Health Sciences Centre in London, Ont., and results will be returned to the laboratory at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital. They will be forwarded to Public Health Services, where they will further reviewed.

If the blood-lead level exceeds 10 micrograms per decilitre or the urine arsenic exceeds 20 micrograms per litre -- standards established after consultation with experts and a review of guidelines and other studies involving lead and arsenic -- Public Health will investigate.

Individuals will have their results, along with a letter of explanation, mailed to them. "If we get a result that is higher than the standard, or investigation level, the individual would be contacted and we would do immediate follow-up investigation," said Dr. Jeff Scott, medical officer of health.

Dr. Scott said the normal public health response would involve medical assessment of the individual and the family, which would include confirmatory testing and consultation with the family doctor. It would also involve an interview and home visit by a public health nurse and inspector, environmental sampling on the property to identify potential sources of exposure to lead or arsenic, and recommendations to reduce exposure.

The results will be dealt with on an individual, case-by-case basis. The overall findings will be summarized in a report and presented to the community.

Dr. Scott said that results will be monitored carefully and, if at any point during the process there were a community concern, it would be identified immediately. He said if there were several individuals with results above the investigation levels, the public health response would be to see if those cases were related, to identify the common source and to make recommendations to reduce that exposure.

The level of lead or arsenic in people’s bodies will show if there has been recent exposure, which is a useful indicator of ongoing exposure.

"The results of this testing won’t answer all the questions," said Dr. Scott. "They’ll inform individuals about what is happening right now, and they will contribute to the risk assessment process that is currently underway by Health Canada."

This risk assessment process, which considers chronic exposures, is expected to be completed by Aug. 31.

Lead and arsenic testing began in community clinics on June 12. The last scheduled clinic is Thursday, June 28, but more clinics will booked if necessary. Testing is being offered to pregnant women and children ages one to five in Whitney Pier, the North End and streets north of Welton and Prince, and also to all residents of Tupper Street, Laurier Street, Hankard Street, Lingan Road, William Street, Frederick Street and Curry’s Lane, the area encompassed by the North of Coke Ovens (NOCO) study. An appointment can be arranged by calling Public Health Services at 902-578-5575.