Dietary Intakes and Plasma Organochlorine Contaminant Levels among Great Lakes Fish Eaters

Nutritional intakes and contaminant burdens should be assessed jointly in individuals who are at high risk of environmental exposures to contaminants through food. In this study, the authors used shore surveys and community contacts to recruit 91 individuals who frequently consumed Great Lakes fish. These individuals provided dietary intake information and fasting blood samples for lipid and contaminant analyses. Participants ate an annual median of 88 meals of Great Lakes fish. Asian-Canadians consumed more total fish meals (i.e., Great Lakes, non-Great Lakes, and other) (medians = 213.0 females, 223.0 males) than Euro-Canadians (medians = 131.0 females, 137.5 males). The higher total fish consumption by Asian-Canadians was associated with a lower percentage of energy derived from fat, higher protein and iron intakes, and higher plasma concentrations of omega-3 essential fatty acids (e.g., median docosahexaenoic acid levels [microgram/l] in Asian-Canadian females = 5.48, males = 4.38; in Euro-Canadian females = 2.93, males = 2.27). Plasma organochlorine contaminant lipid weight concentrations varied by country of origin and by gender (e.g., median total polychlorinated biphenyls [microgram/kg] in Asian-Canadian females = 490.6, males = 729.0; in Euro-Canadian females = 339.6, males = 355.5). Age was the most consistent predictor (+ve) of contaminant concentrations, followed by years spent in Canada (for Asian-Canadians). Associations with sport fish consumption variables were less consistent than for the aforementioned predictors. Given both the health benefits and potential risks of fish consumption, policies that address diverse ethnocultural groups should support continued consumption of sport fish, but from less-contaminated sources than are currently used.