Ringed-seal liver is off the menu for women before pregnancy

Nunavut’s Department of Health is advising women of child-bearing age, or who are pregnant or may become pregnant, to avoid ringed seal liver due to its high mercury content.

Representatives from Nunavut’s government, the University of Ottawa, and Nunavut Tunngavik released report results June 28.

The report warns that unborn children can be altered by too much mercury, especially their neurological development.

Furthermore, because it can take about two months for a human body to get rid of about half of its mercury, an unborn baby can still get heavy mercury exposure from mercury-loaded food that a woman eats before she gets pregnant.

Ring-seal liver is exceptionally high in mercury content and is the primary dietary source of mercury for Inuit adults in Nunavut. The report found that on average, ringed seal liver contributed 49 per cent of the mercury intake for Inuit women of childbearing age in the region.
The report also acknowledged that ringed seal liver provides 25 per cent of the total mercury intake for Inuit in Nunavut.

The research was collected as part of the 2007-2008 Inuit Health Survey. The survey examined more than 1,500 participants for a contaminants assessment. The study found that 43 per cent of Inuit women of childbearing age in Nunavut had mercury blood concentrations above the population guideline of 8 ppb.
Alongside the warning, the report also shows that country food provides essential nutrients that are important to maintain health and can also prevent chronic diseases.

“Our conclusion is that benefits of eating country foods outweigh the risk of contaminants for most Nunavummiut. However, we did find that cadmium exposure was related to smoking and that ringed seal liver contained significant amounts of mercury,” said Dr. Laurie Chan, a toxicologist at the University of Ottawa, and one of the principal investigators of the study. “In light of our findings, most adults should not be concerned about contaminants in country food.”

But the report still warns women of childbearing years of the risks.

The report also notes that whenever possible, eating the meat and eggs of younger smaller fish rather than meat from large, long living, predatory fish can also keep contaminant exposure low.

“We will use this information from the Inuit Health Survey to enhance our current health promotion programs,” said Dr. Geraldine Osborne, Chief Medical Officer of Health with the Department of Health and Social Services.