Achievements
For health
Since the second phase of the SLP, health has become a significant area of intervention. The Departments responsible for health integrate the program as partners, and the activities are numerous.
- Completion of two surveys for establishing knowledge summaries of the behaviour and perception of riverside owners regarding the use of the St. Lawrence (phases 2 and 3).
- Completion of some 50 epidemiological studies and surveys on risks linked to the consumption of drinking water and aquatic products as well as activities involving contact with the water (phases 2 and 3). – These studies confirm that riverside populations are exposed to the chemical and microbiological contaminants present in the St. Lawrence.
- Preparation of a description of the contamination in the flesh of fish of sport interest in fluvial lakes and certain sections of the fluvial corridor of the St. Lawrence (phase 2).
- Reducing organochlorine concentrations (BPC, DDT, pesticides, etc.) by 30-70% in newborn infants in the North Shore (phases 2 and 3). – This decrease is happening even though the residents of the region do not seem to have reduced their fish consumption, which may reflect a reduction in contaminant concentrations in gulf waters.
- Production and dissemination of Health and the St. Lawrence: A Status Report (phase 2). – Summary of the latest knowledge on the St. Lawrence and health.
- Publication of the St. Lawrence Food Guide (phase 3). – A work on the food potential of the aquatic resources of the river.
- Awareness campaigns on the risks associated with carrying out recreational activities on the St. Lawrence and the consumption of molluscs collected from the river (phase 3). Set up in partnership with ZIP committees.
- Training on communicating human health related risks, offered to NGOs that work with St. Lawrence riverside communities (phase 4).
Date modified: 2008/04/30 – Important Notices
