Guidance for Evaluating Human Health Effects in Impact Assessment: Country Foods

This document provides generic guidance on assessing potential human health risks associated with contaminants affecting country foods (also known as traditional foods), such as fruit, fish, seafood and game in federal impact assessments (IAs) of proposed major resource and infrastructure projects in Canada (such as mines, dams, pipelines and other projects). It presents the principles, current practices and basic information Health Canada looks for when it reviews the impact statement or other documentation submitted by project proponents as part of the IA process.

The guidance is presented to support an efficient and transparent project review process. The foundational information described here should be supplemented appropriately with additional information relevant to proposed projects.

The guidance was prepared for the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (the Agency) and stakeholders involved in the IA process to communicate Health Canada's standard areas of engagement and priorities to help ensure that sufficient evidence is available to support sound decisions.

As part of its review, Health Canada may suggest that the Agency, review panels or others collect information not specifically described in this document to assess the health effects of proposed projects. As the guidance provided here is generic and designed to support the IA process, the scope of Health Canada's review may also be amended to reflect project-specific circumstances.

This document concerns the assessment of human health risks associated with consumption of potentially contaminated country foods. It contains information on the division of roles and responsibilities for issues related to country foods at various levels of government in Canada; health effects associated with contamination of country foods; indicators of these effects; and steps in Health Canada's preferred approach to assessing health effects related to consumption of contaminated country foods.

It provides technical guidance on defining country foods on a project basis, and assessing baseline conditions and the longer term anticipated impacts should the project proceed. As with all IA work, cumulative effects are a core element of country food assessment, as are mitigation and follow-up monitoring. While this guidance does not address possible changes in country foods abundance, it is nevertheless recognized that projects may damage habitat and disperse wildlife, altering abundance and availability, and this should also be considered when assessing impacts of proposed projects, in accordance with current federal and provincial legislation.

Appendix A provides a checklist for verifying that the key elements of a country foods risk assessment have been completed and where this information appears in the assessment document.

Appendix B provides a list of references prepared by or under contract for Health Canada that contains material which may be relevant to a health risk assessment for country foods.

Appendix C presents publications/resources where toxicological reference values can be found.

Appendix D identifies publications that are not cited in this document but may be useful in preparing documentation for country food issues addressed in IAs, by the following themes:

• Overall Country Foods and Human Health Risk Assessment
• Dietary Surveys and Methodologies
• Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Guidelines
• Information about Canadian Dietary Intake, Including Indigenous Peoples
• Risk Communication and Risk Management
• Northern Contaminants Program and Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme
• Country Food Contamination Monitoring Programs
• Canadian Data Sources of Contaminant Levels in Country Foods
• Other